Dream World
by delusionment
Summary: -Persona 3- In a world where is no Shadows, Personae, the Dark Hour and only possibilities that "could have been" only exist when Minato Arisato sleeps during class. -contains spoilers-
1. What Ifs

Chapter 1

What Ifs

_Heavy eyelids…so tired… Is it possible to stay awake during Mr. Ekoda's class?_

Minato shut his eyes and laid his head on his desk. Even if he was in the second desk from the front, Yukari could block him from the teacher's view. His mind and conscious felt like a feather in the wind.

Drifting…

_Drifting…_

_Drifting…_

Drifting away into the darkness of sweet slumber…

(- -)

-**April 24, 2006, Monday**

**Arisato Residence**

**Early Morning**

"Minato. Minato!" called a voice.

The boy lazily opened his eyes. Light was pouring through the windows, reflecting off of the various objects in his room. Minato blinked several times before his eyes finally focused on the figure looming over him.

"Minato, get up _now_." His mother ordered impatiently.

Truth be told, Minato knew that he was in a dream world. In reality, his parents died when he was seven, as did the baby growing inside his mother. That was why they were on the Moonlit Bridge that fateful night. They were returning from the hospital because Minato's mother felt ill.

He gazed at his mother's stomach and did not see a baby bump at all. His eyes traveled up to his mother's face. Back in the real world, he had a photo of his parents and him. It was the only way he could remember their faces, but he never could really remember how much they loved him. His mom was quite pretty. She had short hair with the navy color that Minato had inherited. She had soft features and a look of innocent honesty. She had blue eyes that were brighter than her hair.

"What are you waiting for? It's only the beginning of the school year, and you don't want to be late in the first month!" she answered as she left his room.

Minato didn't groan or complain, but slowly trudged out of bed. Though this was a dream, Minato felt like he knew where everything was and what to do. As he was beginning to walk down the hall, he watched a little girl bump into his mom.

"Sorry, mom!" She apologized. She bowed furiously and then continued down the hall.

In this dream world, Minato already knew that this was his little, seven-year old sister, Minako. If they had not gotten into that accident that night, in nine months, Minako would have been born.

Minako looked like a female miniature version of Minato. Her hair was the same navy blue and she had the same gray eyes. Her eyes sparkled with childish innocence while Minato's were dull and blank. Minako's hair was long and they were in two pigtails, each tied with a white ribbon.

"Good morning, brother!" She chorused as she ran past him.

"Morning, Minako." He answered with yawn as he his way (or more likely, the dream led him) to the bathroom.

After washing up and dressing in his middle school uniform, Minato went downstairs where his family was already ready to eat breakfast. The food had already been neatly arranged into four plates. As Minato took his seat, he could see that today's breakfast included miso soup, rice with natto, a small portion of grilled fish, and a raw egg.

His father was reading the newspaper. Minako was trying to resist the temptation to start eating, and his mother was in the kitchen putting the final touches on something.

Minato's father was a silent figure like himself. He was tall and stern. He did not have navy hair, but black instead. He had the gray eyes that both Minato and Minako had.

Minato's mother came around holding a tray of drinks. She placed a cup of green tea in front of her children, a cup of coffee in front of her husband, and a cup of water for herself. She sat down next to her husband, and clasped her hands in her lap.

"Itadakimasu!" The Arisato family exclaimed before beginning to eat their breakfast.

"Minato, I hear you have a new student transferring into Adachi Middle School." His father commented quietly.

"Yes, sir."

"Treat that student well."

"Yes, sir."

(- -)

-**April 24, 2006, Monday**

**Adachi Middle School, Classroom 8-C**

**Morning**

"Class, as you all know, we have a new student today." Taniguchi-sensei announced during homeroom. Minato looked up from his notebook and removed the headphones from his ears and paused his mp3 player. He lifted himself slightly in his desk just so he could see over Yukari Takeba's shoulders.

The new student looked like a real punk. This kid was tall and he wore a baseball hat on his head. From the little hair Minato could see under his hat, the color of his hair was a light black, and his eyes were dark brown. He had a simple silver necklace on and a chain hanging loosely from his belt.

"This is Junpei Iori, students. He is transferring from Osaka." The teacher continued. She turned to Junpei and said, "Please, introduce yourself."

The guy stepped forward with this grin on his face. He chuckled and said, "Wazzup?"

Minato's opinion of Junpei turned from "punk" to "slacker". In this dream world, Minato never knew how it felt like to be a new student. He grew up in this city and never transferred schools. Many have said that new students are always confused and alone. They needed friends to show them the ropes, right?

"You can sit in that empty seat next to Minato Arisato." Taniguchi-sensei answered, pointing to the second seat in the fifth row, right next to Minato.

Yukari's hand shot up in the air. "Taniguchi-sensei, that seat is already taken. He's just out sick." She answered.

"Well, then Junpei can take his spot and we'll find a seat for him when he comes back." She replied.

Junpei dropped his bag next to his desk and sat down. "…'Sup dude?" He whispered to Minato. The boy turned to him. "I'm Junpei." He stuck out his hand.

Minato reached over to grasp his hand firmly. His father always taught him that a firm handshake showed that you are confident and knew what you were doing.

"I'm Minato."

(- -)

-**April 24, 2006, Monday**

**Adachi Middle School, Class 8-C**

**After School**

Junpei and Minato became fast friends. His opinion of Junpei had changed from "slacker" to "slacker and class clown" now. Junpei was pretty upbeat and cheerful. He was excited to have moved to the city.

They both were talking at their desks after school when the girl in front of Minato turned around and asked, "Hey, Minato, the theater is having a movie marathon tonight! Let's go!"

The boy smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry, but I can't, Yukari. I promised to watch Minako and her friend Maiko tonight."

Yukari Takeba was one of the most popular girls in the school. She had light brown hair and amber eyes that seemed to sparkle more than usual when she spoke with him. She was cheerful and always positive. She likes to tease Minato affectionately. The Takeba and Arisato family were old friends. Echiiro Takeba and Koji Arisato were friends from high school and remained close throughout the years. Minato and Yukari were childhood friends.

She scowled at him. "No fair. Why can't your mom watch them?"

"She's visiting her parents tonight."

"Uh…who's Minako and Maiko?" Junpei asked.

"Minako is my little sister, and Maiko is her best friend."

"Oh…well, that's nice."

Yukari thought for a moment before exclaiming, "I know! I'll help you baby-sit the girls!" Junpei snickered, and the brunette gave him a sharp glare. "What?"

"Are you two…" The new kid looked at both Minato and Yukari. "…on a high level together?" He was smirking.

The brunette took the hint and blushed. "N-no! We're only childhood friends!" She whirled on Minato and nearly yelled, "Hey, tell him!"

Minato ran his hand through his hair and said hesitantly, "Uh, yeah. We're only friends." Junpei's smirk didn't fade. It was getting a little awkward so the boy took a glance at his watch and said, "Well, I should leave now. I have to walk Minako home."

Yukari walked over to the window and looked out from it. The eighth grade classrooms were on the top floor of the Adachi Middle School. It looked out into the courtyard and the front gate of the school.

"You probably should, Minato. I can see your sister and her friend at the front gate." She answered.

The boy cursed in a small voice and grabbed his bag. "Then I should get going. They probably are going to want to go Wild-Duck Burger."

Junpei grabbed his backpack as well. "Wild-Duck Burger, huh? I've heard about that place. Do they really add secret ingredients to the burgers?"

Yukari grabbed her bag and ran after the two boys leaving the classroom. "Hey, wait for me!"

(- -)

-**April 24, 2006, Monday**

**By the front gate of Adachi Middle School**

**After School**

"You're late!" Minako replied angrily. She had her hands in her pockets, and she scowled at her brother and his friends.

"I'm sorry, Minako." Minato answered.

"And for that, you get the death penalty!" She yelled, pointing her finger at him.

"D-death penalty?" Junpei cried out.

Yukari chuckled. "It means that Minato has to buy everyone whatever they want for today."

"I want takoyaki!" Maiko, Minako's friend exclaimed. Maiko was Minako's best friend in elementary school. She had brown hair and eyes. Her hair was braided and then wrapped into a bun on both sides of her head with pink ribbons. She loved takoyaki and Mad Bull, and she had a crush Minato. Even though she knew that Yukari and Minato were childhood friends, she always found opportunities to separate them.

"No! Let's go to Wild-Duck Burger!" The younger Arisato child answered.

"I wouldn't mind some ramen from the Hagakure." Yukari suggested.

"Everything sounds so good! I'll have anything!" Junpei replied with a grin.

"NO! Wild-Duck Burger!"

Minato ran his hand through his hair. "I guess it doesn't matter what I want, huh?"

"Brother, I want Wild-Duck Burger!" Minako yelled. She grabbed his hand and began dragging him away from the front gate of the school. Maiko followed along with Junpei and Yukari bringing up the rear.

"I have the death penalty. You'll get your mystery burger." The boy answered calmly.

"So why do you want ramen, Yukari?" Junpei asked.

"My dad recently performed an experiment on the ramen from the Hagakure. Apparently, it _does_ improve your collagen." She replied.

Junpei frowned. "WHY THE HELL DID YOUR DAD DO AN EXPERIMENT ON RAMEN?"

Minato looked back at them and laughed. "Mr. Takeba is a professor at the city college, which is owned by the Kirijo group. Because he is a professor, he does a lot of research as well."

Yukari beamed and said, "He is a professor in both physics and chemistry. Right now he is researching more on the blackbody form and anisotropy of the cosmic microwave background radiation. So, experimenting on ramen is probably fun for him."

The new kid scratched his head. "Huh? I have no clue what that means!"

The girl laughed. "I don't blame you. But even I don't know what it all means. I mean, come on! We're only eighth graders!"

"Brother probably knows what it means!" Minako chirped excitedly.

Junpei turned to Minato. "SERIOUSLY?"

"Uh, only a small portion of it." The navy haired boy answered quietly. "But it is a advanced physics."

Maiko beamed. "Minato is so smart!"

"Yeah, almost genius-like…" the other boy muttered.

Suddenly, Minato felt something big smack him in the back several times.

(- -)

Minato blinked his eyes several times and lifted his face from his arms. His eyes slowly went into focus as he looked at both Junpei and Yukari.

"Hey, man, class is over now." Junpei replied. "It's time for lunch now."

"Is it?"

"You shouldn't be sleeping during class, Minato." Yukari reprimanded.

Junpei scoffed. "Not like it matters for Minato anyway." He answered, almost coldly. He could sleep through all his classes and still make the top grade. He's like Mitsuru – a genius."

The classroom door opened and a student came in claiming, "Hey! The test scores are posted now!" Junpei's face fell like it was going to be the end of the world. He always dreaded the results.

Yukari, Junpei, and Minato left the classroom together to view the results. In front of the faculty office was a crowd of people. The three of them fought their way to the front. They all searched for their names. Minato had gotten the top score in his class again.

"Above average, huh? That's not so bad." Yukari commented.

"Ugh…I failed once again. This sucks, man!" Junpei answered. He took another glance at the results. "Tch. Of course, Minato Arisato gets the top grade."

"Congratulations, Minato!"

"Like I said…a genius."

* * *

Hello everyone! This is delusionment here! Well, this is my first Persona 3 story. I hope you all enjoyed it. If you don't know my style, I always put notes at the end, like now.

So first, I was thinking of where this story falls into during the timeline. It could actually fit in anywhere after Yakushima trip and when the test results are posted before summer break. I decided to have Minato's dream world go back in time to when it was 2006. It was originally 2007, but I later found out that the ninth grade was part of junior high, so that made the date 2006. I calculated that at that time, everyone would be 14 and be in the eighth grade. Eighth grade is also when Junpei transferred there, as said by him in the beginning. If my calculation is wrong, please correct me. Yes, I know I hinted at a Minato x Yukari pairing there. I'm going to leave that open for now. Mitsuru and Akihiko will most likely make appearances later in the story along with Fuuka, Ken, Shinjiro, and other characters like Chidori.

Well, anyway, that is all I have for now. I have a couple of other Persona 3 stories in mind so I'll put them up later once I finish them. Thanks for reading!


	2. Baseball, Dreams, Deals, and Mitsuru

AN: How odd, I'm putting up my notes **before** the chapter. xD I rarely do that, but this is important. It seems I found a mistake as I was writing this chapter. I found out that ninth grade is part of junior high when it comes to Japanese schools. I thought that they just skipped ninth grade. So, I went back and redid the dates and years in the first chapter and in this chapter. Everyone except Mitsuru, Akihiko, and Shinjiro are actually 14, not 15. If they are 14 and in the eighth grade, the year would be 2006, not 2007. I changed the days to fit with the 2006 calandar. Sorry for the mix-up. Everything is up to date now. Anyway...from the title of the chapter, Mitsuru makes her first appearance! She should make more appearances later. So, now, read on!

(- -)

Chapter 2

Baseball, Dreams, Deals, and Mitsuru Kirijo

Tartarus last night was pretty rough. Everyone fought so hard, and they were either sick or tired now. As Mr. Ono continued his lecture on the samurai age, Minato laid his head on his desk. The thought of sleeping through the class was tempting. _Very_ tempting. He didn't feel like going to the nurse's office to try that weird concoction the nurse had.

Actually, Minato didn't have to think about sleeping. His eyes were slowly shutting, and his mind was submitting into the depths of his dream world…

(- -)

-**May 7, 2006, Sunday**

**Arisato Residence**

**Afternoon**

"Come on, hit it! Hit it!" Junpei yelled excitedly. He was bouncing around the couch and around the coffee table like an energetic, little child.

Minato, Junpei, Minato's best friend Kenji Tomochika, and Minato's friend from the track team Kazushi were all gathered at the Arisato residence to watch the baseball match between the Yomiuri Giants of Tokyo and the Orix Buffaloes of Osaka. Koji Arisato was at work (he is also a professor at the city college, and teaching organic chemistry and biochemistry) giving a Sunday lecture, and his wife was doing the grocery shopping. Minako had cram school today so Minato and his friends at the house all to themselves.

"Homerun!" They all yelled when the Giants made a spectacular hit. They were also doing a little bit of victory dance.

"Ah, this game is AWESOME!" Junpei yelled excitedly as he readjusted his baseball cap. "I've always imagined being in a baseball match like this. The whole stadium would be going wild once I would make a homerun!"

"You want to become a star baseball player?" Kazushi asked with his eyebrow raised.

"It was my dream as a kid. Pretty stupid, huh?"

"No, man! You can achieve that dream!" Kazushi answered. He hit his chest and continued, "All it takes is dedication! And no one is as dedicated as me! Just watch! I'm going to make it to the Olympics and become the fastest man in the world!"

Kazushi was pretty passionate whenever it came to track. He was dedicated to the sport, and often pushed himself to his limits. He enjoyed running on the dirt track that was the same color as his eyes and feeling the wind run through his black hair. He always wore his warm-up suit since it always put him into the "zone".

"Heh, to be honest, it is too much work. I don't feel like heading off to practice and working hard for a dumb dream." Junpei replied casually.

"You are a true slacker, Junpei." Kenji commented with a grin.

"Yeah, dawg!" They slapped hands.

"I don't have any dreams. Just getting through life and missing my favorite TV shows is all I'm worried about."

Kenji Tomochika was Minato's best friend. They were friends since grade school. He had light brown hair and black eyes. He was a slacker like Junpei, but there were two things that Kenji did really love: ramen and older women. Of course, Kenji still wasn't smooth enough to have a relationship with an older woman.

Kenji turned to Minato. "What about you? Do you have any dreams?"

_Other than this one?_ Minato thought.

Junpei's face fell. "Dude, if you say you have 30-year goals, I might punch you."

The boy shook his head. "I don't know what I want to do with my life right now. All I know is that I want to get into Gekkoukan High School."

"Gekkoukan…?" Junpei asked.

(- -)

-**May 7, 2006, Sunday**

**In front of the front gate of Gekkoukan High School**

**Afternoon**

"THIS is Gekkoukan High School?" Junpei yelled as he stared at the high school. It was pretty majestic. The school was three floors high, and Minato was sure that the roof had a gorgeous view of the city. The school was only eight years old, and it still looked like it was spanking new. Its radiance shined brightly and dazzled in the sun.

"Gekkoukan High School was built by the Kirijo Group." Minato explained. "This school is pretty prestigious _because_ it is under the Kirijo Group control."

Junpei laughed. "Does that mean the students are under brain controlling devices or something?" He asked with a grin.

"They have a large influence here. If something happened, they could prevent the news from reaching the ears of the media." Kazushi answered.

"Takeharu Kirijo's daughter will be attending here next year, right?" Kenji asked.

Minato stared at the school and said, "Yeah."

"So, Minato…this school is your dream?" The new kid asked.

"For every dream every person has, can literally be achieved by attending Gekkoukan." Kazushi replied. "They have the best education and their sports are pretty spectacular."

Kenji scoffed and said, "Every dream? Can this school fulfill my dream of getting an older woman?"

"If you date a teacher."

"Yukari is going to apply here, too." Minato commented absently.

Junpei raised his eyebrow and grinned mischievously. "Yukari, huh? So tell me, Minato. What _is_ your relationship with Yuka-tan?"

"Huh?"

Kenji also grinned wickedly and joined in with Junpei. "You know that I'm not interested in girls like Yukari, but you seem to be pretty close to her."

Kazushi ran his hand through his hair, but didn't say anything. He just watched Minato's reaction: confusion.

Minato laughed nervously. "Yukari and I are only childhood friends. Nothing is going on, really!"

"SUUUURE. That's how it all starts. First you are childhood friends and then – BAM! You guys go one-step further and are now a couple!" Junpei declared.

The navy haired boy frowned. "Junpei, I think you've been reading too much manga."

He ignored that comment. "So, what do you say? Are you going to take it one-step further with her?"

Minato turned his head back to the school then to Junpei. "I'll make a deal with you, Junpei. When we both get into Gekkoukan High School, you have to try out **and** make the baseball team. If you do, I'll ask Yukari out."

Junpei gave a hard, long stare at him. "You, my friend…have a deal."

"Excuse me." Said a voice.

Minato and Junpei shook hands, symbolizing that the deal was final.

"Excuse me!" The voice repeated more forcefully.

All four heads whirled around, trying to find the source. They finally found the person who said those words. Behind the front gate to the school was a gorgeous girl with curly, ruby red hair and garnet colored eyes. Her hair was not that long – only reaching a little bit past her shoulders. Her hair was pulled back with a purple headband. Minato recognized her clothes to be the Konata Middle School uniform. That school was one of the most prestigious middle schools in the city.

"This happens to be private property to which only students and staff of this school are allowed to access." The girl answered with a cold, dominant voice. "Please leave now."

Minato bowed to the girls. "We apologize for that. My friend here is new to the city, and I wanted to show him this school."

"That is fine, but please do not loiter in front of the gate. It would make others think we have a couple of punks who want to vandalize the school." She replied with a wry smile.

Junpei gaped at this girl. She was beautiful. "But, uh, what are you doing here? It's a _Sunday_. It's a holiday."

She flipped her hair and said, "My father and his coworkers are currently surveying the school for inspection. I am accompanying him."

"I see. Again, we apologize for trespassing." Minato replied. He bowed again, as did Kazushi and Kenji. Junpei didn't, but continued to stare at the girl. Minato elbowed him in the stomach, and he hunched over with pain. "Good-bye now."

The boy grabbed Junpei and dragged him off with Kazushi and Kenji.

(- -)

-**May 7, 2006, Sunday**

**Palownia Mall**

**Afternoon**

The mall was nearby, so they decided to take a break there by the fountain.

"WHO was that girl?" Junpei asked excitedly. "She was AWESOME!"

"That was Mitsuru Kirijo. Her father owns and runs the Kirijo group." Minato answered. "I've only seen her a few times at the college charity dinners."

"THAT was Kirijo's daughter?"

"I've heard rumors about her. She's always calm and cold. She's pretty damn smart, too!" Kenji replied.

"I bet she only dates uber-nerds, then." Junpei commented with a snicker. "But did you guys notice? Mitsuru-senpai has this aura around her…She's almost like a goddess. A really hot one at that, too."

"Okay, I'll agree with you there, Junpei." Minato answered.

"Psh. Stay out of this, Minato." Kenji replied. "You already have Yukari."

The navy-haired boy grinned slightly.

For the rest of afternoon, the four boys resumed their afternoon. Their conversations were filled with talk of certain girls, Game Panic, and baseball. As the sun fell, Minato could feel himself suddenly getting winded and he was certain what was coming next…

(- -)

Minato raised his head to look up at Junpei. He removed his headphones from his ears and rubbed his eyes.

"Dude, you have to stop sleeping during class." Junpei replied. "You should stop studying so late at night."

"I'm fine." The navy haired boy reassured.

He suddenly remembered Junpei's dream to be a star baseball player. Was that why he always wielded his katana like a baseball bat? Minato had to grin at the thought.

"Hey, do you want to go to Tartarus tonight?" He asked quietly.

"Hell yeah!" Junpei yelled. "Let's go blow out money out on the arcade after school then!"

Minato checked his wallet. Oh yeah, he had enough cash to blow. After all, he was heading to Tartarus tonight. He would be able to get more. If Minato and his friends were just normal high school students, this is how their life would be. It was a pretty nice thought at that, too.


	3. Tanabata Festival

Chapter 3

Tanabata Festival

July 7, 2009…there was going to be a powerful shadow appearing that night. Minato was planning on going back to the dorm right after school so he could prepare for it. Although, it was stupid of him to study the night before the battle, so now he was tired and about to fall asleep in Ms. Toriumi's class.

Okay, scratch that. The moment Minato laid his head on his desk and shut his eyes, he was already Sleep's spell, and entering his dream world.

(- -)

**July 7, 2006, Friday**  
**Naganaki Shrine  
****Evening**

Minako ran ahead of her brother and climbed the steps by herself to the Naganaki Shrine. Tonight was the Tanabata Festival, the only time of the year that Altair and Vega reunite. Minako loved the Tanabata festival since she could dress up in a yukata and almost make her older brother pay for anything she wanted. It didn't matter if she gave him the death penalty or not. Minato loved his little sister, but maybe he spoiled her too much.

This year, Yukari and Junpei were tagging along with the Arisato kids.

"Come on, brother! Let's go try out all of the games and eat all the food! Look! Yakisoba! Choco bananas! Apple candy! Oh, the yoyo water balloon game! Let's go try that, Brother! That and the shooting game!" Minako said excitedly and pointing to each booth. She grabbed his hand and dragged him to the nearest booth, which was the booth for the yoyo water balloons.

Junpei laughed and said, "Calm down, Mina-tan! We have all night to hit up all the booths!"

Yukari gently tugged at the sleeve of Minako's yukata. "By the way, Minako-chan, your yukata is very cute!" It was a purple yukata, decorated with light purple butterflies and a yellow obi belt. Her hair was still in ponytails, but tied with a purple ribbon this time.

Minako smiled brightly. "Thank you! Yukari-san, you look so pretty in yours!" She answered. She turned to her brother and asked, "Hey, Brother! Doesn't Yukari-san look so pretty?" She was wearing a pink yukata with light pink flowers and a yellow obi belt. In her hair was a pink, Nadeshiko flower, and her cheeks looked more full than usual, like she had just stepped out of the bath.

The boy glanced up at Junpei to see him smirking, and then at Yukari who was smiling at him.

"Yeah, she does." He answered, much to his chagrin.

Yukari took Minako's hand and joined with her at trying to scoop up a water balloon. Junpei slyly elbowed Minato and winked.

"Hehehehe, you sly dog! You're already putting the moves on Yuka-tan!" Junpei replied with a grin.

"What are you talking about? All I did was compliment her."

"SUUURE. That's _all_ you did."

Minato ran his fingers through his hair. "Argh, shut up, Junpei."

After a few minutes, Minato heard his little sister grumble with frustration.

"Why can't I get one?" She asked with disappointment.

"You're too hyper, little sister." Minato commented gently. He took the hook from her hand and slowly lowered it into the pool of water. He tugged it, guiding it along the water and hooking one of the water balloons. He lifted it and dangled it in front of his little sister. She smiled at the balloon, then at her brother.

"Thank you…"

Afterwards, the four left the booth, touring around Naganaki Shrine. They stopped to buy some snacks, and at Minako and Yukari's insistence, takoyaki. Junpei and Minako had their own, and to Yukari's persistence that she couldn't finish it all, Minato shared one with her.

They then stopped at the offertory box in front of the shrine. They all deposited some money inside, with Junpei putting in the most, and prayed. ("Dear Buddha, help me get a good grade on the next test." He prayed.)

"Oh wow! Bamboo boats!" The youngest Arisato child claimed. She pointed at the people placing their wishes on these boats and sending them down the river.

"Do you want to make a wish?" Minato asked.

The girl nodded vigorously.

The four all wrote their wishes on the small paper before sending them afloat on bamboo boats. They all watched them drift away as Minako began to softly sing, "Sasa no ha sara-sara, nokiba ni yureru, ohoshi-sama kira-kira, kin gin sunago."

The night ended with couple of fortunes and exploding fireworks high the sky.

(- -)

Ms. Toriumi took her book and smacked Minato on the head with it. His head jolted up from his desk and he yelled out, "I wasn't sleeping!"

The whole class burst into laughter, and the boy's face reddened.

"Mr. Arisato, I don't permit sleeping in my class." The teacher replied sternly. "You will have to translate all of page twenty-nine and hand it in to me tomorrow morning."

"Yes, sensei."

"Honestly! You ought to drink some coffee before classes." Ms. Toriumi grumbled as she went back to her podium.

Yukari turned around and whispered, "Hey Minato, are you sure you're going to fine for the mission tonight?"

"We can't have our leader passing out on us." Junpei added in a low voice.

"I'll be fine." He insisted.

After all, the small nap would do him good.

* * *

I apologize for the delay of this story and its shortness. Hopefully, the next one will be longer. I have learned that the song that Minako sings in Japanese is a traditional song that is sung at the festival, so that was a nice addition. Thank you for reading!


	4. Minako, the Shrewd Girl

Chapter 4

Minako, the Shrewd Girl

It was a hot August Sunday, and Minato was cooped inside the dorm studying. Not that he really minded though. It was too hot to go outside and do something, and staying inside the air-conditioned dorm felt like heaven, even if it meant having to study for his finals.

While Junpei's breaks mostly consisted of sitting around, drinking Mad Bull from the vending machines, reading magazines, or playing with his PSP, Minato consisted of taking small naps between subjects.

And for the first time, he had plunged into his dream world without being in school.

(- -)

-**August 20, 2006, Sunday**

**Minato's Room**

**Early Morning**

In this world, Minato quickly sat up in his bed as if he had awoken from a bad dream. As he sat up in bed, he saw Minako sitting on the foot of his bed facing him. She was dressed in her day clothes – her hair neatly tied with two gray ribbons.

"Good morning." She replied with a smile. "You're back so soon?"

He blinked his eyes at her. What did she just say?

"What are you doing in here, Minako?"

"I'm not going to cram school and singing classes today, and I just wanted to see if my guess would come true today, and it did!"

"Your guess?"

Minako giggled. "It's nothing." She got up and ran out of the room. Minato stared after his sister.

What was that all about?

The boy got up and went to his usual routine. As he went downstairs, he found his dad already gone, and his mother cleaning the kitchen. Minako was eating a small stack of pancakes and several sausages in good humor. His own plate was waiting for him, and it was just begging to be eaten.

"Good morning, mom." Minato greeted as he sat down. "I'm guessing dad had an early class to teach today?"

"Yes."

"And another question, mom…"

"Hm?"

"How come Minako isn't going to cram school and singing classes today?" Minato asked.

His mother turned around abruptly. "What?"

"Minato! Ssh!" Minako whispered fiercely.

"Minako Arisato, were you planning on skipping out on your lessons today?" His mother asked sternly.

"But mom, I don't want to go! Akane Kotone is being a buttface to me!" The girl replied. "Please don't make me go!"

"Minako, I don't care. You wanted to sing, so you are going to your singing classes."

The girl groaned. "Can't I just go to my singing lesson and ditch cram school?"

"No!"

The seven-year-old turned to her brother and said, "Minato, you have the death penalty for a week!"

He nodded listlessly. Truth be told, Minato had the death penalty almost for half a year. Another week of Minako leeching off his allowance wasn't going to hurt him much. He was so used to having to pay for whatever she wanted. He was a typical older brother who loved his little sister, and spoils her on a regular basis. Minato was just a typical doting brother, and he was certain he would be overprotective as well. Given several years, that characteristic may as well come out.

(- -)

-**August 23, 2006, Wednesday**

**Iwatodai Strip Mall**

**Afternoon**

It was hot outside, but it was no surprise. It was always hot during the summer, especially in the city. Minato could have just stayed inside and played MMORPGs, but Minako dragged him outside for fresh air. Minato strongly suspected that Minako wanted something, and it was probably the combination of Wild Duck Burger and the Bookworms bookstore.

Sure enough, it was. After finishing up lunch with Mystery Burgers, Minako dragged her older brother to the bookstore next door. Although she may not look it, Minako was intelligent and sharp. She liked reading and singing, and so Minato's allowance was usually emptied out on her novels and songbooks.

"Oh, look at this one." Minako replied picking up a book from a pile. It was a book that explained symbols found within dreams. "I wonder…"

"You shouldn't waste your money on those. They are just a waste of time." Minato commented when he saw the title.

Minako gave him a devilish smile. "You mean _your_ money."

"Yeah, whatever."

He watched his little sister flip through the book.

"Hm…It says daydreams are light-hearted in nature, and are no more than silly fantasies or wishful thinking." She read aloud. She turned a couple more pages. "Most dreams contain messages that serve to teach us something about ourselves."

The gray eyes that both Arisato kids shared locked onto each other. Both gazes were hard and calculating as each one tried to read the other. It was unlike Minako to hold an emotionless gaze, as Minato studied her expressionless face. On rare occasions would she act like him, and at that point, she was difficult to understand. On the other side of the coin, Minako knew her brother wasn't one to show too much emotion, so it was not easy reading him, even if she was one of the people who knew him best.

Minako finally broke the calculating gaze. She closed the book on dream telling and symbols and placed it back in the pile. The rest of the afternoon followed as normal as possible, but Minato couldn't help but think that Minako was catching onto him. The only problem was, he didn't know what it was.

(- -)

-**August 24, 2006, Thursday **

**Minato's Room**

**Early Morning**

When Minato awoke this morning, he found himself face to face with his little sister again. She was dressed in her pajamas still, but she was in the same spot like last time – at the foot of his bed.

"You're still here." She replied with a cryptic smile.

Minato gave a long, hard stare at Minako.

"What are you rambling about, Minako? You've been acting strange lately." He commented.

Her smile faded and the look on her face was replaced with a frown. She tried studying her brother's expression again, but then said something that took Minato completely by surprise.

"This is all just a dream of yours, isn't it?"

"…How do you know this is a dream I'm having?"

"It has to do with your eyes and the way you act." She replied quietly. "They appear different when you are dreaming and when you are not, and the way you cross the bridge between this dream and your reality, is the same every time."

This girl was certainly sharp. She was the only one to suspect so far that this world was nothing but a dream of his. But…since when did figures in dreams suddenly become aware that the world was a dream? If he could, Minato could control every aspect of this world to his own liking, so how is it that this little girl who happened to be his little sister suddenly realized the place she was in was merely his own fantasy? It was like a robot gaining its own free will. Minato began to wonder. If someone like Minako could realize this was his dream then did he have the right to still call it one? Wouldn't it be better classified as an alternate universe?

"Is this world just a dream?" Minako asked.

"…It is."

"So then…I'm just a dream as well?"

"This dream…this world…this dimension of my imagination, it is a realistic illusion to me." Minato replied. "In my reality, I am seventeen, and my life is much more different than the one I have here. I created this world for all the things that never would have been able to happen in my real life."

Minako smiled softly with a curious spark in her gray eyes.

"Minato, you said before this is all just a dream you're having. But if this is your dream, and you are positive that what is happening in this world is just a dream, then how can you tell which world is your dream? You said this world is a realistic illusion."

Minato grinned. "I know which is my dream and my reality, Minako. These two worlds may have the same setting, but they are very different."

"How so?"

(- -)

-**August 26, 2006, Thursday**

**Port Island Station**

**Daytime**

The Arisato children sat on the bench next to the fountain. They watched people walk in and out of the movie theater, or people heading towards their train.

"So…in your real world, you're seventeen and an orphan?" Minako asked.

"Yeah. When I was your age, we got into a car accident. I was the only survivor."

"Then how come I'm in this dream when I wasn't born at all at the time? How do I tie into this world?"

"That night, mom got really sick. Dad wanted to take her to the hospital. They couldn't leave me alone, so I went along with them." The boy answered. "We found out that mom was pregnant that night. I remember her saying in the car that she knew the names she wanted for this next child. Ichirou for a boy and Minako for a girl."

The girl beamed. "So then, the reason why I'm here is because you wanted a little sister?" The boy nodded with a sad smile.

"But after celebrating that night, it was getting late so we began driving home. We were on the Moonlit Bridge when we got into a car accident. I don't remember much after that, only that I was thrown from the car." Minato ran his hand through his hair. "All I can really remember was that it was a full moon, and it had a creepy, eerie glow to it."

_It was kind of like the Dark Hour,_ he thought.

"I was sent to relatives, and now at the age of seventeen, I was transferred into Gekkoukan High School at the start of my junior year. In the other world, I'm living in the dorms with several others."

The curiosity within the girl's eyes burned more.

"What else is different in the two worlds?" She asked eagerly.

"Well, Yukari and I aren't childhood friends in my world, and her dad passed away when she was young as well."

"Wow, really?"

"Junpei is the same in both worlds. He says he transferred here in the 8th grade, so I guess I made the connection there when creating this world." Minato began tracing the edges of the bench. "In my world, I know Mitsuru Kirijo pretty well."

"Mitsuru Kirijo? Isn't she the daughter of the man who owns the university that dad works at?" Minako asked.

The boy laughed and nodded. "There are others I haven't seen in this dream yet, but you probably don't know them."

"Hm. This dream seems to be a series of things that could have been." The girl commented.

"It is. There is a big difference between these two worlds though. I doubt you would understand though…"

Minako frowned. "Really?"

"Yeah, really. I'll tell you when you get older and wiser." Minato replied.

The girl nodded with a smile. "Okay, then. That's fair."

Minato looked up at the sky. The summer sun was bright and the boy raised his hand to try and shadow the light from his eyes. He could feel a faint wind against his skin, and he knew he was heading back to his real world now.

"Looks like I'm starting to awake." He commented lightly. "Don't worry, Minako. I'll come back soon."

His little sister stared up at the sky as well. He was certain she could also feel the faint wind.

"I know you will. We'll all be waiting here for you."

(- -)

Minato awoke from his small nap. He was still in his room, behind his desk. He rubbed his eyes awake and stared down at his books. After several minutes of trying to comprehend what he was studying before falling asleep, he gave up. His mind was no longer on his studies, but on his dream world.

He let out a small laugh. It had started out as a dream, but could it now be called an alternate world now? This decision was left up entirely to Minato, but for once, Minato Arisato didn't know.

* * *

Back again, only with a quicker update! I rather like this chapter, as I have another chapter that will relate to this later on in the story. Truth be told, I have no clue how long this story will be. I plan on slowing down the pace of the year of the real world because I am thinking of having Minato's dream world reach the year of 2009 for (somewhat) symbolic reasons. It seems I have made yet, ANOTHER mistake though with the first and third chapter. I said that the first chapter could take place from the end of the Yakushima trip to the point they all get their test scores, and then the third chapter takes place on the July Full Moon battle, so the timing is off. Sorry. You could just say that the first chapter takes place in May, and then third chapter in July, and we all will be sorted out. I apologize for another mishap. Anyway, thank you very much for reading! Stay tuned for more!


	5. Please, Oh Baby, Don't Go

Chapter 5

Please, Oh Baby, Don't Go

August 26, 2009, in Minato's reality…tonight was the night that his parents died in the car crash and left him as an orphan. For the first time since his parents' funeral would he be able to visit their grave. Early in the morning, Minato left the dorm without a word. None of his friends knew the importance of this day, and he was relieved they didn't ask where he was going.

As Minato sat in the train heading for Port Island Station, he couldn't help but grip the seat tightly. Today, on this very day ten years ago, Minato would not have imagined the horror of losing his parents and the unborn baby growing inside of his mother. All he could remember after being thrown from the car was the moon's odd glow and two mysterious figures in front of him. Afterwards, he lost consciousness and awoke in a hospital.

He cried there in the cold, white room he was contained in. Minato could remember that even though it was a warm summer day, everything felt so cold. He could remember the dry tears on his face, and after that, his eyes became dry, of both tears and emotion. He couldn't accept the fact that his parents were gone.

Arriving at Port Island Station, Minato hastily stepped off the train. This was only a temporary stop. He bought flowers at the florist and hopped onto the next train that would take him to the region where his parents were buried.

The graveyard was silent when Minato stepped onto its grounds. The place where the dead were laid to rest was on the edge of the city – away from the bustle of people, away from the excessive sounds. The cemetery was soundless, surrounded by tall trees that shot up to meet the sky. This solitude location was perfect for the souls that have passed on.

The sky was starting to get brighter as rays of light shined through the gray clouds. This setting just didn't fit the melancholy mood Minato was in. He began walking through the rows of gravestones, casting glances at the epitaphs. Finally, he found his parents' graves.

_Koji Arisato  
__April 8, 1968 - August 26, 1999_

_Hotaru Arisato  
__September 19, 1968 - August 26, 1999_

_Alongside time, exists fate, the bearer of cruelty.  
__Your time to leave came too soon._

Minato laid the flowers on their grave.

"Hi, mom, hi dad." He replied in a soft tone. "It's been a while, hasn't it?"

He paced back and forth in front of the grave.

"A lot has happened in the past ten years. I got passed from relative to relative before coming back here. They didn't like much about me." He explained. "On another note, they all are doing well."

He smiled sadly and sat on the ground in front of the grave. He ran his hand through his hair and continued talking. "I have some good friends now at Gekkoukan. We also have an unusual job of exploring a tower called Tartarus, which only appears during the hidden hour called the Dark Hour. We all have a special power called a "Persona". Mine happens to be unique. I wonder if you would be proud of me for it." He said. Minato quietly stared at the epitaph as if he was waiting for an answer from his parents. "Yeah, it's incredibly dangerous, but if we don't do anything about the problem, it won't be solved at all, right?"

Minato stood up and wiped the grass from his jeans. "That's all I have for now, really. I'll come visit you again really soon, okay?"

The train ride back to the dorm was quiet again. From the cemetery to Iwatodai was a long ride. Minato bowed his head a little and shut his eyes. It was only the afternoon, and he felt tired already. He had a good two hours until the train would reach Iwatodai Station. He could sleep for the time being…

(- -)

-**September 7, 2006, Thursday**

**Arisato Residence**

**Early Morning**

As Minato entered this world, he found himself sitting at the dining table with a bowl of cereal in front of him. He turned his head to look at the calendar nearby. It was September 7, 2006. Upon closer inspection, tonight was a full moon. His attention soon snapped up to the steps enthusiastically bounding down the stairs. His suspicions were confirmed when Minako emerged from the stairway.

"Morning!" She greeted when she saw him at the table. "Welcome back!"

"Thanks."

"How is life in your other world?" She asked.

"Fine. It's a little boring since it is still summer vacation." Minato answered. He groaned slightly. "Not here though."

There was another pair of footsteps that began down the stairs. They dragged and shuffled on the hard wood floor steps as if the walker was in a miserable mood. The culprit behind the glum footsteps was Minato's mother. She was dressed in her pajamas with a robe wrapped around her even though the temperature was starting to rise. Her skin looked a little pale. There were dark circles under her now dull, blue eyes.

"Morning mom." Minato greeted.

Mrs. Arisato smiled weakly at him. "Morning, Minato dear. Same to you, Minako." She replied softly. She went to the kitchen and began looking for something in the pantry.

"Are…you okay, mom?" Minato asked hesitantly.

"Not exactly. My stomach has been very uneasy, and I have a fever." She answered. Minato and Minako immediately jumped up and began pulling their mom away from the kitchen. "What are you two doing?"

"You're sick mom! You should go back to bed and stay there." Minako insisted.

"She's right. We'll take care of you so you won't have to get up, okay?"

Mrs. Arisato mustered up a snort. "Nice excuse for trying to skip school," was her reply.

"Who else will take care of you, mom?" Minato asked. "Dad won't be back until this afternoon, so how about we take care of until he comes home, then we can always go to our afternoon classes."

She stared weakly at her kids' worried faces. She sighed. "Fine. Fine, you can miss your morning classes, and stay with me until your father gets home."

Their mother went back upstairs, and her kids silently stared at her back until they couldn't see it anymore. They shared a worried glance at each other for a moment.

"Minako, go check the medical texts for anything that mom might have. I'll try to cook something for her." Minato ordered. He head for the kitchen, thinking that warm soup with crackers would help calm her uneasy stomach. Minato rarely cooked meals, but he had watched his mother make the same soup whenever friends or family was sick with a cold or any other sickness. He felt confident that he could recreate the warm soup for his mother.

Minako disappeared into her father's study and a few minutes later, she came holding a large medical textbook. "I think mom is either deprived of sleep or she has the flu." The girl replied. She dropped the textbook onto the table and began looking through it.

"Flu is probably the highest probability. Sleep deprivation doesn't explain why she has an upset stomach as well." The older child answered.

Minako stared at a certain page of the book for a moment. "…she could be pregnant."

Minato raised an eyebrow. "I doubt it. I think mom has enough trouble with the both of us already. She doesn't need another child to chase after."

The girl raised her eyebrow and remarked, "I wonder if I should take that as an insult or a compliment."

"It's a fact, especially for you."

Minako glared childishly at her old brother. She stuck her tongue out at him, tucked the medical text under her arm, and left the room in a huff. Minato knew she would come around to him by the end of the day. She loved her older brother too much, and she couldn't be cross with him at the end of the day.

Minato continued cooking, and when he was done, he rummaged through the cabinets for a tray. This tray was often used whenever Mr. Arisato surprised his wife by making her breakfast in bed or Minato and Minako wanted to be sweet and make their parents breakfast in the morning. After finding it, Minato placed a bowl of the soup on the plate along with a napkin, several crackers and a cold glass of water.

He carefully lifted the heavy tray and slowly made his way upstairs and into his parents' bedroom. He found Minako sitting on the bed next to their mother, reading aloud from a book. Silently, He laid the tray on his mother's lap. She gave him a weary smile before slowly beginning to eat. Minako continued reading aloud from the book as Minato sat next to her. He corrected her pronunciations of certain words at times, and they stayed like this, watching over their ill mother until they heard a car in the driveway.

(- -)

-**September 7, 2006, Thursday**

**Adachi Middle School, Class 8-C**

**Afternoon**

Minato took a deep breath before opening up his classroom door and heading inside. His classmates erupted into a flurry of whispers as he walked up to his teacher. He handed her a note written by his father. It was a short explanation why Minato missed his morning classes. Taniguchi-sensei read the note with a small look of annoyance.

"Fine. Go take your Mr. Arisato." She ordered crossly.

The boy did what he was told and sat in his seat behind Yukari. The moment his bottom hit the chair, Junpei and Yukari turned to him.

"Where have you been?" Yukari asked.

"It's not like you to miss a day of school, let alone a class!" Junpei added.

"My mom was sick, so my little sister and I stayed home to take care of her until our dad came from the university." Minato explained.

Junpei snickered. "Dude, nice excuse."

"Who says it is an excuse?" The navy haired boy asked.

"That's enough!" Taniguchi-sensei snapped. "Miss Takeba and Mister Iori, sit properly in your seats, and let us continue with our lesson. Mister Arisato, you've missed your morning classes already, so I suggest you start taking notes."

Minato, Yukari, and Junpei shared an amused smirk before complying with their teacher's demands.

"So, picking up where we last left off, in this problem, you subtract five on both sides so the equation becomes 2x equals ten. Then you…"

(- -)

-**September 7, 2006, Thursday**

**Arisato Residence**

**After School**

After school, Minato quickly picked up his little school from the elementary campus, and they hurried home. They burst through the front door to find their father sitting at the kitchen table, reading a newspaper.

"She's fine." He answered immediately as his two kids drew near. "She's sleeping now."

"Well, that's good." Minako replied with a breath of relief.

"Dad, you don't think that mom is pregnant again, do you?" Minato asked. The stoic man carefully folded his newspaper and laid it on the table before looking up at his son.

"Her symptoms show that it would be a possibility." He replied.

"Minato said that you and mom have trouble with us already! Is that true?" Minako demanded.

Her father chuckled deeply and laid his hand on his daughter's head. "I'd be lying if I said it wasn't true." Her mouth fell open with dismay and let out a growl of frustration. She ran up the stairs and slammed the door to her room. Mr. Arisato chuckled again and said, "She'll come around by the end of the day."

Minato nodded with an amused grin. "She will."

(- -)

-**September 7, 2006, Thursday**

**Arisato Residence**

**Late Night**

Minato was just starting to fall asleep in his comfy bed when his father appeared in the doorway of his room. His father's words were incoherent, and all he could remember was mumbling his reply in his half-conscious state.

"I said, get dressed Minato. We're taking your mother to the hospital." He ordered. At these words, Minato snapped to attention. The hospital? Again? It was like when the Arisato family found out that his mother was pregnant with Minako.

Minato quickly got dressed and was ordered to wait in the car while his father helped his wife. Minato stood in the driveway and looked up at the sky. Tonight was a full moon…just by looking at it in this world made him feel very uneasy. The boy got into his father's car reluctantly. No…hopefully, it wouldn't be like that night. Minato hoped, wished, and prayed that tonight wouldn't end up like the way it did in his reality world.

Out of misery, Minato punched the side of the car. He buried face in his hands, fervently praying that nothing would happen going to and from the hospital. His body began shaking slightly.

"Minato?" called Minako's voice. He hadn't even noticed that his little sister was sleeping in the seat next to his. "Are you okay?"

"I don't want it to end up like it did." He said tensely. He wouldn't be able to bear with the same tragedy again, especially in this world.

Minako gently held her brother's hand. He gripped it tightly as if he was trying to squeeze the life out of his anxiety. His sister didn't flinch at all – she kept a brave face on, fully aware that her brother needed comfort. Minato continued to pray silently, his sister joining along with him.

(- -)

**-September 7, 2006, Thursday**

**Tatsumi Memorial Hospital**

**Late Night**

The wait felt long. Mrs. Arisato and her husband went ahead with the doctor for an analysis on Mrs. Arisato's condition. Minato and Minako stayed in the waiting room. It was late out, and both were tired. The chairs were uncomfortable so it was hard to get some decent sleep to pass the time. They both would pass out in one position for a while before waking up, moving around in the chairs for a comfortable position and then passing out again.

Their cycle continued until they couldn't sleep anymore. Afterwards, they played jan-ken-po until boredom set in. One of the ladies at the receptionist desk was kind enough to lend the two kids a deck of cards. They played several games with the cards and they were just beginning to build a house with it when their parents came back.

"Well, I'm pregnant again." Their mother announced to them.

"Well, congratulations, in eight months, you'll have another child to run after." Minato commented casually.

"Yay! I'm going to be an older sister now!" Minako cried out.

As the Arisato family began climbing into their car, Minato's feeling of anxiousness returned. He prayed again, and gripped his sister's hand for reassurance. As the car entered onto the Moonlit Bridge, Minato's worry grew.

_Please, don't let anything happen to us while we are on this bridge,_ Minato thought fervently, _I don't want them to go so soon._

Minato remembered the epitaph on his parents' graves. He remembered that he had the choice of choosing what would go on there. His aunt (his mother's sister) helped him choose what it would say. (Or more like it, she chose it and Minato agreed hesitantly.)

_Alongside time, exists fate, the bearer of cruelty.  
__Your time to leave came too soon._

Their deaths were too soon. Minato was only seven at the time, and no child should have to grow up without the warmth of his or her parents and in the detestation of his or her relatives. Minato didn't want to go through with that again.

_Oh, please, don't go._

Out of the blue, Minato and Minako jerked to the left and slammed against the car door. He could blindly hear his father honking the car horn and yelling, "Hey! Pay attention to the road, you jerk!" Minato looked over his father's shoulder to see that their car had narrowly avoided another. The other car had tried to switch into their lane, but almost didn't see them.

"Honestly! People like that don't deserve to be on the road!" Mr. Arisato fumed.

Their mother turned around to look at her shaken children. "Are you both okay?"

They mumbled a vague yes. The rest of the way home followed without trouble. Minato began to breathe easier when he stepped onto their driveway. Minako gave her brother a small hug of encouragement and the family went inside.

"Do you want me to read you a bedtime story, Minako?" Her father asked.

"Dad! I'm not a little kid anymore!" She replied.

He chuckled and said, "That's what you think, but you'll always be my baby girl."

Both went upstairs and Minato was left alone with his mom. He gave her a hug, still shaking slightly.

"Congratulations on the new baby, mom." He said quietly.

"Thank you, Minato." She said. "Now you have to work twice as hard to be a good older brother." The boy nodded. "Now, I think you should get some rest. It's a weekday, and you have school tomorrow."

"Yeah."

(- -)

Minato slowly opened his eyes and found himself on the train again. He looked around and saw that a little girl had tugged on his shirt to stir him from his sleep. She was small, and had innocent, childish gray eyes and reminded him of Minako.

"We're at Iwatodai Station." She said kindly.

"Oh, thank you."

He looked around to see the other passengers had already left.

"You know, if you are so tired, then you should get some more rest." She replied gently.

The girl's mother came up to her and said, "Let's go, honey."

"Okay." The girl waved at Minato before stepping off with her mom.

Minato reluctantly rose from his seat and got off the train. He set off for the dorm along, lamenting the death of his parents, and celebrating the new life that was going to be born in his other world.

* * *

Hello, again! This chapter is sad, isn't it? If you have finished the game, then you would notice that the epitaph on Minato's parents' grave is the quote that Nyx Avatar utters when changing to the Fortune Arcana. I thought it was rather fitting. I guess that is all I have so far for notes. Thanks for reading!


	6. The Hierophant, the Emperor, and Sister

Chapter 6

The Hierophant, The Emperor, and Sister

It wasn't the first time that Minato had caught Akihiko and Shinjiro staring the same picture. He wasn't exactly sure what made it so important, but he was smart enough not to ask about it. But now, finally, for the first time, Minato was able to see the picture. Akihiko had borrowed Minato's dictionary, and he accidentally stuck the photo inside.

Minato found it when he was in his Composition class. He flipped through the dictionary when the photo fell out onto his desk. Curiously, he looked at it to see its importance to Akihiko and Shinjiro. It was a slightly worn photograph of a young Shinjiro and Akihiko and a little girl.

The younger version Shinjiro looked like a punk in the making. His shorts were long and baggy, and he wore a baseball cap backwards. The scowl on his face remained unchanged. A young Akihiko reminded Minato of Ken. Akihiko had the innocent, boyish charm, which was very different from his now hardened desire for power. The girl was the only one that Minato didn't know. Her hair was long and blonde, but it was so blonde it almost looked like white. She shared the same grayish-brown eyes that Akihiko had, and by comparing the two, Minato was certain this girl was his little sister.

Akihiko and Shinjiro-senpai were orphans like himself, right? He could understand why they would stare at this photo; after all, there were times when Minato couldn't help but stare at the only picture left of him and his parents. They wanted to remember the death of those closest to them – remember the face of the ones passed on.

Minato laid his head on the desk. What was this girl's name again? He was sure he heard Akihiko mutter it once or twice. It started with an M and it was short. Mi… Miki… That was it. The navy haired boy shut his eyes. He made a note to himself to himself to give the picture back to Akihiko in private – but for now, he wanted to sleep.

(- -)

-**September 27, 2006, Wednesday**

**In front of Adachi Middle School**

**After School**

Minato watched his classmates leaving the school through the front gate. He was waiting for his little sister to finish up with her lessons before they would meet up at the front gate of his school. He brought enough money with him so that he could buy food for the two of them. The probability of having Wild Duck Burger was high.

Minato checked his watch. Minako was ten minutes late. It was rare that she was ever late. Usually, it was he who ran late. He was always talking with his friends or he had clean up duty that day. Minato smirked slightly. He might actually have a chance to administer the death penalty on his little sister for a change.

Five more minutes passed.

The boy was starting to get worried. Where was she? Minato began walking down the road. The elementary and middle school that Minako attended was nearby. Did she get a detention for her smart mouth? Did she just forget to tell him that she had clean up duty, or that she was going to Maiko's house for the afternoon?

Minato approached the gate of Minako's school. He dropped his bag on the ground from the sheer horror from what he saw. Minako and an older girl with bright blonde hair were huddled on the ground and being beaten up by a group of sixth graders. In all fourteen years of Minato's life (in this world, of course), he had never been so pissed off before. With his bag abandoned in the dirt, he ran up to one of the sixth graders and immediately punched one in the face. A sickening crunch could be heard when his fist collided with the kid's face.

"LEAVE THEM ALONE!" He found himself yelling.

He and the sixth grader he had punched rolled onto the ground. Minato struggled to beat the kid with all the anger inside of him. He didn't quite know if this was just his brotherly instincts or just a "sister complex" about to be awakened. But as Minako's older brother, Minato was going to make sure _no one_ messed with his little sister.

Minato had no problem fighting with his fists. He was able to take down many Shadows with his fists while in Tartarus, but fighting on school grounds was another story. First of all, there was a difference with being in the body of a seventeen year old and a fourteen year old. Second, there were seven sixth graders and only one of him. If he was in Tartarus right now and got into a fight with a large group of Shadows, he would almost be committing suicide.

One of the sixth graders roughly pulled Minato away from the friend he was beating up. Minato straightened up, ready to take on all of them. The sixth graders rushed in at him at the same time like it was an All Out Attack. Minato punched the first guy then kicked the second. He blindly began hitting anyone who rushed at him. He ignored the pain from receiving a punch to his cheek and stomach. He did his best to get rid of these guys, but he was outnumbered quite a bit.

There was hope at the end of the tunnel Minato had fallen into. Two figures – one tall and buff and the other slightly shorter and lanky – jumped out of nowhere and began helping Minato against the sixth graders. The three punched and kicked the seven boys (although, for a brief instance, Minato saw the buff guy head butt one of the sixth graders). Bruised and bloody, the sixth graders ran off. Minato didn't bother to look at the two guys who had helped him. He immediately rushed over to his little sister and the other girl.

"Are you okay, Minako?" he asked.

The girl looked up at her brother. Her face was streaked with dirt and tears. Her clothes were covered with shoe prints, and when Minato touched her shoulders, he could feel her shaking. His little sister shook her head.

"I…I can't move my left arm, Minato." She said in a hushed voice. "I think one of those guys broke it."

"I'm sorry!"

Both Arisato kids looked up to see the girl with hair so blonde it almost looked white. Her eyes were a mixture of gray and brown, which Minato found to be a unique color. The girl's eyes were welled up with tears as she said, "I'm sorry I couldn't do more to help you!"

The lanky boy gripped the girl's arm and said, "Let's get to the hospital now just in case something is serious."

Minato could get a clear view of this boy's face. Tall and lanky, he wore casual clothes, but on closer inspection, it was really the Konata Middle School uniform. His hair was platinum gray and he had similar grayish-brown eyes as well. He had a band-aid on his nose, and Minato thought it looked rather silly. Though, he had a rather impressive and cool aura to him.

The other boy was almost a polar opposite of the lanky one. He was taller and buff. He had long, messy brown hair and dark brown eyes. He wore a baseball cap backwards, but he, too, casually wore the Konata Middle School uniform. With his hands stuffed into his pockets and looking on surly, he looked more like a punk than Junpei.

A crowd had drawn during the fight, but it was now slowly dispersing. Minato felt sick to his stomach – not because of being punched in the gut, but because fighting was prohibited on school property. If there was bullying going on, running to a teacher for help was more logical. If he was reported, he knew his parents wouldn't be too happy. But for now, Minato felt more concerned about his sister's condition. He slowly lifted her shaking body up, careful not to move her left arm.

The buff guy returned Minato his bag, and the five of them set off for the nearby Tatsumi Memorial Hospital.

(- -)

-**September 27, 2006, Wednesday**

**Tatsumi Memorial Hospital**

**Afternoon**

Minato learned who the other three were while the doctor checked up on the two girls. The burly guy was Shinjiro Aragaki. He was fifteen and in his ninth year at Konata. The other boy was Akihiko Sanada. He had just turned fifteen five days ago, and a ninth year at the same school. The girl was Miki Sanada, Akihiko's little sister. She was four years younger than him and in the fifth grade.

Minako suffered from several cracked ribs, big bruises, sore muscles, and her left arm was broken in two places. Miki was bruised up badly, and she fractured a bone in one of her legs. He called his parents to come down to the hospital and pick them up, and in this time, Minato finally learned what happened earlier that afternoon.

"When I was leaving school, I found the group of sixth graders near the gate, torturing this dog. It's that dog that belongs to the master of the Naganaki Shrine. It wasn't any more than a year old, and it was small and a little inexperienced still." Minako explained. "The dog often passes by our school for some reason, but the sixth graders were acting like a bunch of jerks, so they started picking on the poor thing. I tried stopping them, but they soon turned on me."

"I saw Minako being beat up, so I tried stopping them. I tried to take them all on, but they also turned on me." Miki added.

"That was reckless of you, Miki." Akihiko scolded.

"I'm sorry…" she replied sadly.

Minako looked at the cast on her left arm. "I'm sorry that I couldn't do more for the dog."

Minato sat down next to his sister on the bed and put an arm around her. "Don't say that, Minako. You did what you could. I'm sure the dog knows it as well."

There was a quick shuffle of footsteps approaching the hospital room. Mr. And Mrs. Arisato appeared in the doorway, their faces slightly flushed, but filled with worry. Mrs. Arisato did a quick inspection of her daughter before pulling her into a tight hug. Mr. Arisato turned his son's cheek to get a better look at the bruise on his left cheek.

"What were you thinking, young lady, trying to take on a group of sixth graders?" Mrs. Arisato asked as she continued berating her daughter.

Minato's father raised an eyebrow as he stared at the bruise. "Nice bruise, Minato." He muttered. "Just wait until you get reprimanded by your mother for fighting."

"You're not mad at me for fighting?" Minato asked.

"I would be if you were fighting for no good reason, but in this case, you only did it to protect your sister." He replied.

"Now, you, Minato! Fighting! On campus? What were _you_ thinking?" Minato's mother demanded, turning on him now. Over his mother's shoulder, Minato could see Akihiko, Miki, and Shinjiro slowly sneaking out of the hospital room. Like a true mother with eyes on the back of head, she yelled, "Stop right there!"

The three of them froze and turned to Mrs. Arisato at a snail's pace. Miki cowered slightly under her brother and Shinjiro. "The three of you were the ones who helped my children, right?" Mrs. Arisato asked. They all hesitantly nodded. She took a deep breath and smiled. "Thank you all."

Minato and Minako stared incredulously at her.

"What? What's up with that? How come she reprimands us both and—" Minato began. His father clamped his son's mouth shut with his hand and didn't say anything.

"If you didn't step in, I'm sure that something more would have happened to them." Mrs. Arisato continued.

"It…It was not a problem, ma'am." Akihiko answered awkwardly. "Now, excuse us. We need to get home."

They all turned to leave again when Mr. Arisato said warningly, "Wait." They turn around again. "You need a parent or guardian to be released from the hospital."

They looked at each other and Shinjiro said, "We're orphans."

"Orphans? If you're orphans, then how is it that you are able to attend Konata Middle School?" Minako blurted out. Her father clamped his other hand over his daughter's mouth.

"We are being sponsored by the Kirijo group." Miki explained.

"Through their outreach program right?" The older man asked. They agreed. The Kirijo group had a very positive and influential power. They owned and controlled almost everything, and the group still had the time to give back to the people. The outreach program Mr. Arisato spoke of was simple. The Kirijo group sponsored orphans who had enormous potential. They gave them housing, food, money, and a well-deserved education in hopes that the orphan would rise up in society. Most sponsored orphans attended such prestigious schools such as Konata and Gekkoukan.

Mrs. Arisato thought for a moment before asking, "Well, if that is the case, would the three of you like to have dinner at our house tomorrow night with our close friends?"

"What?"

"It must have been a while since you had a home cooked meal with a family, right?" She asked brightly.

The two boys and the girl turned to each other. They leaned in closer, quietly discussing their decision. Minato watched his mother continue to smile unwaveringly. He could hear small parts of their discussion.

"Why not?" Miki asked.

"A home cooked meal? I cooked for us just last week. We don't need it." Shinjiro growled.

Miki scoffed and said, "That's because you and my brother had a Home Economics class that day and had access to a kitchen."

"Okay, look." Akihiko commanded. "We are running out of our allowance for the month. We don't have enough cash to go to the Hagakure for meals for three more days. We might as well accept their offer."

"I'm going to accept no matter what!" Akihiko's younger sister replied. "It's been seven years since we've had a home cooked meal made from a mother's love, and you know what? I miss it!"

Akihiko rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Okay, fine, Miki! I'll accept, too!" He looked at his friend and asked, "What about you Shinji?"

"…Whatever. I'll go." He said gruffly.

"Mrs. Arisato, we accept your invitation." They said.

(- -)

-**September 28, 2006, Thursday**

**On the front steps of the Arisato household**

**After School**

"Dinner tonight?" Yukari asked. "Yeah, I heard about it. Pretty last minute, if you ask me."

"Are you coming?" Minato asked.

The girl laughed. "Do you even have to ask? Our families are the best of friends. Of course, we're coming tonight."

"Whoa, wait, what?" Junpei asked.

After school, Yukari and Junpei tagged along with Minato in picking up Minako from school. Minato was more than ready if he had to fight the same group of sixth graders again. He still didn't get in trouble with the school for fighting on school grounds, but he was sure that the matter would be investigated, and he would be called in for an examination. For now, Minato was going to enjoy his time of being free. The four of them went back to the Arisato household where Minato, Junpei, and Yukari were sitting on the front steps, idly drinking soda and talking. Minako had gone inside to practice her singing.

"My family is having dinner here tonight." Yukari explained.

"You're invited, too, Junpei." Minato said quietly, but it seemed like the comment wasn't heard.

Junpei sniggered. "Is it to discuss the future plans to engage the two of you together?"

"Shut up, _Stupei_!" Minato's childhood friend yelled.

"Stop calling me that!"

Ignoring his friends' childish bickering, he took another swig of his Mad Bull soda. Minato turned his head just in time to see a white dog staring at him with bold, red eyes. The dog stared innocently at Minato with patience.

Minato put his soda down on the ground and walked over to the dog. He began scratching him behind the ears and he said, "I know you. You belong to the priest at the Naganaki Shrine." He remembered his sister's story. "I'm guessing you're here to see her, right?" He turned to his friends (who were still bickering) and said, "Will both of you shut up and bring Minako out here?"

"What? Why?" Junpei asked.

He took a deep breath and said, "Just bring her out here."

Junpei and Yukari looked at each other curiously before disappearing inside. Minato continued to scratch behind Koromaru's ears until he heard the others return. Minato turned around to find his sister and friends walking down the steps.

"You have a visitor, Minako." He replied with a smile. He stepped to the side to let her see Koromaru sitting on the sidewalk. At the sight of the girl who had tried to save him, his tail began wagging happily. His tongue hung out as if this was his smile.

"Koro-chan!" Minako cried out. She ran over to the dog and pet him eagerly. She giggled and asked, "Did you come here to see me?" Koromaru let out a loud bark.

"I think he's trying to say thank you for yesterday, Mina-chan." Yukari said softly. The dog barked with agreement. "See?"

Junpei chuckled. "Smart dog."

"But…I couldn't do anything for him."

Minato shook his head. "That's not true, Minako. You did your best in trying to save him. It's the thought that counts."

She stared at her brother with wide eyes. She slowly closed them as if she had reached realization. She turned to the patient dog. She gently hugged him and said softly, "You're welcome, Koromaru."

He whined slightly, lightly licking the girl's face. He gave a short bark before walking back to where he belonged. The four watched him leave until they couldn't see Koromaru anymore.

"You know," Junpei said, "that is one hell of a dog."

(- -)

-**September 28, 2006, Thursday**

**Arisato Residence**

**Evening**

The night was filled with laughter. The Arisato residence was a full house, so Minato helped his dad bring up the extra table from the basement. The table was always used whenever a large group of relatives were over, but this was a special case. There were eleven people over for dinner: The Arisato family, the Takeba family, Junpei, both Sanada kids, and Shinjiro Aragaki. The house was anything but peaceful.

Koji Arisato was normally stern and stoic, but his more lively personality appeared more frequently when paired up with his best friend, Echiiro Takeba. They both made sure that the three orphans did not feel left out. They told stories of their own high school days, all of which were quite surprising. Despite being top students in high school, they were also big pranksters, often using their knowledge of sciences to create comical situations. Minato and Yukari had heard these stories many times before, but these tales fascinated Akihiko, Miki, Shinjiro, and even Junpei.

Other than the stories, Hotaru Arisato's cooking was something new to the three orphans. All of it was completely made from scratch, and it was a nice break from the fast and frozen food they routinely ate. Like Miki had wanted, the meal was made with a mother's love. With that factor, the food tasted different – in a good way. It was warm, but when the three orphans ate it, it felt like it also warmed their hearts (even Shinjiro's). This feeling was quite different from food being warmed up in a microwave.

At dinner, when all attention had turned to the three orphans, Minato learned more about them. Akihiko and Shinjiro were somewhat more open than they were in his reality. Akihiko and Miki's parents died seven years ago, when they were eight and four respectively. They died in a fire. When sent to an orphanage, they met Shinjiro. His parents died when he was five. His father was an alcoholic and frequently beat his wife and son when intoxicated. Shinjiro's mother died as a result, and realizing what he did, his father committed suicide. Minato then thought that Shinjiro's attitude soon became hard because of the sad fate of his parents.

The subject moved onto a lighter note. The orphans then explained the reason why the Kirijo group sponsored them. Akihiko showed promise as a boxer. His reason for wanting to become one was much different than the one Minato had figured out in his reality. Akihiko told the story that his father loved watching the sport, and he soon became interested. Miki was found to be a very good singer like Minako. They went to the same school for their classes, but Miki was in a more advanced course. Shinjiro mumbled out his reason for being sponsored, but no one could quite understand. Junpei, Yukari, and Minato attempted the prod the answer out of him until Mrs. Takeba stopped them. In reality, Minato had learned from Akihiko that Shinjiro was actually a very good cook. Perhaps that was his talent.

The night continued on from dinner to board games. Though it was seemingly juvenile, Miki and Akihiko happily agreed. Shinjiro agreed reluctantly, but Minato was sure that he really did want to join them. He didn't say anything because he didn't want to get punched in the face again. Minako and Miki also had everyone sign their casts. At the end of the night, Mrs. Arisato packed up all the uneaten leftovers for the orphans. They had two more days to go before getting their monthly allowance, and the mother wasn't going to let them starve until then.

As Minato said good-bye and watched his father drive his new friends to their dorm, he couldn't help feel like they were part of the family now. Even if they lived with each other, he knew they would be welcome at the Arisato residence any day – and that was completely fine.

(- -)

Minato sat on the second floor, talking with Fuuka, Yukari, and Junpei. He refused to go to Tartarus that night. He believed that they all need a break from fighting Shadows and climbing blood covered floors. Minato realized it was getting late when Akihiko climbed the stairs to the second floor.

"Don't stay up too long." He ordered to the group before heading inside to his room. The four of them nodded and continued their conversation. Now, Minato was only half listening. He imagined that Akihiko had found his important picture on his desk. Attached to it was a note saying:

_I understand how you feel about keeping such a thing._

_But I won't ask any questions on its importance._

_-Minato_

Truly, no questions were needed to confirm its importance. The item itself was evident of that. It was something that a Hierophant and an Emperor could look back on, no matter how painful the memory was.

* * *

Hello again! Considering that the last two chapters were pretty serious, I tried for something a little more light-hearted. Although, reading it over, I think this chapter was a little more serious than light hearted. Although, I promise the next chapter will be light hearted! It's going to have Minato x Yukari fluff. Yay! Haha. I was originally going to have the chapter title be, "The Hierophant, the Emperor, and the Priestess", but I thought that everyone might mistake the Priestess part as Fuuka. Fuuka will make her appearance later on, don't worry. I also wasn't going to originally have Koromaru in this chapter as well. The sixth graders were going to be picking on some other animal like a bird, but I thought of Persona 3's adorable dog, and he found his way into this chapter. Well, I think that's it for now!


	7. Present Matters

Chapter 7

Present Matters

Minato rubbed his eyes exhaustedly. He had spent much of last night trying to get the perfect gift for her. It wasn't that he remembered her birthday at the very last minute, but instead, it was that every store in the Palownia Mall had it on backorder. It was the latest addition in fashion after all. He was thinking of getting something from the Antique Store, but she wasn't old fashioned – she was more modern. The crane game at Game Panic had Jack Frost Dolls and Teddy Bears, but Minato kept grabbing air. In any case, she did think those two things were cute, but he was sure that she would love his first idea the best.

Last night, Minato finally got her the perfect gift. The owner of the Antique shop had gotten one for him, and she made him swear that he would bring her more jewels from Tartarus. He hastily agreed and brought the present back to the dorm. He was careful to hide it from her eyes and wrap it inside his room. It was exhausting to shop for girls.

With the week starting off with exhaustion, Minato willingly shut his eyes and drifted off to the sweet plea for sleep.

(- -)

-**October 10, 2006, Wednesday**

**Palownia Mall**

**After School**

"Wow! A Jack Frost doll!" Minako exclaimed. Her face was pressed against the glass of the crane game at Palownia Mall's Game Panic Arcade. "It's so cute!"

"Maybe for you. I personally like the Ganesha." Miki commented. Her face was also pressed against the glass.

Minato stared at the toys inside. "These won't work." He muttered.

Junpei appeared out of nowhere and smacked Minato on the back. "What are you mumbling about, dude?"

It had become a routine now for the Arisato and Sanada kids to walk home together with Shinjiro, Junpei, or Yukari accompanying them every now and then. Every day, when Minato picked up his sister from school, he met up with Akihiko and Miki there and they all would walk home. Minato would give Akihiko the food his mom cooked the night before so both Sanada kids and Shinjiro could eat it for dinner. Today was a Tuesday, meaning Yukari had archery practice, and Shinjiro was inside the Home Economics room at Konata Middle School.

Junpei didn't have much to do so he went along with Minato, Akihiko, and the two little sisters. Akihiko and Junpei were surprised that Minako wasn't asking for anything to eat from Wild Duck Burger this afternoon, but they soon found out why.

"Nothing." Minato answered. He didn't really want his best friend on his case and taunting him this afternoon, tomorrow, for a week, for a month, and for the rest of the year.

"Oh, are you still trying to decide, Minato?" The boy's little sister asked.

His friend raised an eyebrow. "On what?"

"Nothing."

"Don't you know, Junpei-kun?" Minako asked with a smile. "Yukari's birthday is in nine days."

Minato smacked himself in the forehead. He was never going to hear the end of it now. Junpei loved hearing any dirt on Minato and Yukari's friendship, especially with the bet still going on. Sure enough, Junpei began smiling like the Cheshire Cat from _Alice in Wonderland_.

"Oh?"

Akihiko stared blankly at Junpei, who was grinning stupidly and Minato, who was tugging at his navy hair again. "What? I don't get it." He said. "Why is Junpei smiling like an idiot?"

Junpei put his arm around Minato, dragging him along while saying, "What are you doing here around Game Panic, my friend? If you want to please your woman, then you should go buy her something worthwhile!" Akihiko, his sister, and Minako followed behind them. Though she was the youngest out of all of them, Minako was perfectly aware of what Junpei was getting at

. She smiled innocently, quietly enjoying her brother's uneasiness on the subject. Miki looked somewhat confused, but she seemed to catch on faster than her older brother, who continued to remain clueless.

"You must take her breath away with this gift! It will be special! Marvelous! Brilliant!" Junpei gushed.

"And how would you know what to get Yukari? You don't even have a girlfriend." Minato commented absently.

Junpei's arm fell from Minato's shoulders. He frowned and unnecessarily fixed his baseball cap. "Dude, that's cold."

"Why is getting a present for Yukari such a big deal?" Akihiko asked. He looked quite confused and unaware.

Miki smiled and said, "Don't mind him. My big brother was never really good with girls."

Junpei snickered. "Akihiko-san, you're not going to get laid for a _very_ long time." He turned back to Minato, steering him into a store. "Now, let's go get something for your girlfriend." Akihiko continued asking his sister and Minako what Junpei was talking about, but the girls merely shook their heads telling him he will learn sooner or later. They took him by each hand and dragged him after the other two boys.

Minato knew that beneath his title as Yukari's childhood friend, there was potential for more. He wasn't willing to admit it anyone but maybe his sister. What he was worried about was that if he and Yukari did start going out, it might become awkward. There was a difference between platonic and intimate relationships. Yukari was keen on making it known that she and Minato were only friends. Yes, when they were younger, they spent almost every day together – they went over to each other's house, ate dinner with each other, and played games. Back then, Minato protected Yukari from anything, and she made sure Minato was on the right track when they were growing up. They completed each other.

"Now what did you get her last year?" Junpei asked, dragging the poor boy around.

"Uh…a stuffed animal if I'm not mistaken."

"Yukari isn't a little kid anymore, Minato."

"Then what would you suggest?" Minato asked crossly.

Junpei looked around the aisle before picking up a keychain that had the word "love" on it. "How about this?"

"Rejected."

His friend placed the keychain back onto the shelf. "Fine then."

Minako and Miki disappeared before coming back, each holding something different. Minako's was a journal, and Miki's was a black and pink wallet. Minato rejected both ideas, including Akihiko's suggestion for a gift card for Yukari's favorite store. To make it more fun, Junpei continued to drag his friend through the store, pointing out random items as suggestions. These guys were no help at all.

"I guess this is punishment for expecting any help from a girlfriendless idiot, an girl-ignorant boy, a fifth grader, and a first grader." Minato thought with dejection.

(- -)

-**October 15, 2006, Sunday**

**The Pharmacy in Palownia Mall**

**Daytime**

There were four more days until Yukari's birthday, and Minato still had not gotten anything for her. His friends were no help either. He wanted her birthday gift to be special, perhaps as a sign that he was ready to be more than her childhood friend.

Minato walked aimlessly through the shelves of medicine and other miscellaneous items of the pharmacy. His mom had seen a sale at the grocery store, and she certainly was a sucker for them. Her husband and only son were the only other ones home, and Minako was at cram school, and later, singing classes. Mrs. Arisato was quite pleased having her husband and son home. She forced them into the car and had them carry the grocery bags after buying so much food. Her claim was that she was pregnant and she needed food, not only for the new baby, but also so Akihiko, Miki, and Shinjiro could have a decent dinner.

The family car was filled with grocery bags, and the next stop was the pharmacy. This gave Minato another chance to look for something for Yukari. He wandered around, staring at the store's products. Nail polish? Which kind though? What color? Minato tugged his hair agitatedly. How come it was so hard to shop for girls? Maybe it isn't hard when they are younger, but once they get older and more aware of society, they get so picky over their gifts.

"Still beating yourself up, honey?" Mrs. Arisato asked her son as she walked down the same aisle as him.

He sighed. "I never thought I'd ask this, but can you help me buy something for Yukari?"

His mother covered her mouth with her hand, laughing lightly. "Ho oh, my darling boy is asking for advice! Aw, he's growing up into a fine, young man."

Minato's cheeks went a little red. "Mom, I'm serious!"

"As am I, dear." She chuckled. "There are several things in this world that women love most: perfume, jewelry, and fashion."

"Mom, those are really expensive…"

"I'll give you an advance on your birthday, Christmas, and weekly allowance." Mr. Arisato replied, joining his wife and son. "You'll just have to starve Minako a little while longer."

Mrs. Arisato smiled. "Come, come. I shall help you pick something out."

The three left the pharmacy, passing the Antique Shop next door. Minato glanced at the window, and did a double take. There in the window was a mahogany music box, decorated with small, gold and pink flowers. Minato cast a look of realization to his parents before rushing into the store and asking the woman inside how much the music box was.

"That box is worth 5000 yen, young man." She declared. The boy fumbled for his wallet, desperately trying to find enough money to buy the music box. He didn't know why, but he felt like this gift would be perfect for Yukari. She more modern and this was more old-fashioned, but perhaps it was the air of it would match hers.

Minato struggled to only find 2500 yen in his wallet. He was about to strike a deal with the woman when his father took his money and handed it to the clerk. He pulled out his own wallet and added whatever else was needed to complete the price. Mr. Arisato winked at his oldest child and said, "This money is coming out of your allowance next week."

The woman retrieved the item, carefully wrapped it and handed it to Minato. "Thank you for your business. Take care." She said.

Father and son rejoined Mrs. Arisato by the fountain. Minato's parents guided him to other stores for the other additions to the music box. Finally, Yukari's gift was complete. The only thing to worry about next was the wrapping and giving the gift itself.

(- -)

-**October 19, 2006, Thursday**

**Adachi Middle School, Class 8-C**

**After School**

Minato had the way he was going to give Yukari the gift all planned out. Minako was in charge of giving Miki the dinner for tonight. Afterwards, she and Miki were going to hang out with Maiko at the playground at the Naganaki Shrine. Akihiko and Shinjiro were free to do whatever they wanted, and Minato suspected it was a bowl of ramen at the Hagakure. Junpei was going to hang out with Kenji. So that just left Minato and Yukari.

"Hey, Yukari, do you mind if I walk you home?" He asked her after school.

She smiled and said, "Not at all. Just let me get my stuff out of my locker." She left him, and Junpei came over.

"Did you finally get a gift for your_girlfriend_?" He questioned with a snigger.

"Yes. It's better than whatever you suggested." Minato replied. "Junpei, when you do get a girlfriend, I just hope you won't get her _laundry detergent_ for her birthday."

His friend went on the defensive, quickly stating, "Okay, that one was a joke!"

Minato looked over Junpei's shoulder and saw Yukari coming back. "She's coming back."

"What?"

"She's coming back! Get out of here!" He shoved Junpei away, and he disappeared out of the classroom. Minato grinned at Yukari as she approached him. He tried his best to make it look like he didn't just turn his best friend away in a hurry.

"What was that all about?" She asked.

"Nothing." Minato said quickly. "So, shall we go?"

Both set off together, in the direction of Yukari's home. His own was across town, but today, he didn't mind the long journey. They spoke of school, their friends, and outrageous ideas that mirrored the ones they had as kids. Minato could feel his bag heavy with Yukari's present. They approached her front door of her house. This was now the time. Minato extracted the wrapped music box from his bag and handed it to her.

"By the way, happy birthday, Yukari." He said.

"Oh, you shouldn't have, Minato!" She took the gift and unwrapped it on the spot. She gasped when she saw the mahogany box, decorated with gold and pink flowers. "It's beautiful…"

"Well, try it out."

She grasped the knob and winded it until the knob wouldn't budge any further. She opened the lid and a soft, dreamy, yet haunting melody began playing. Inside the music box was lined with dark red velvet, and something important could be stored inside. Minato had placed a small bottle of fashion's latest perfume inside as well as a white leather choker, decorated with a heart.

Her eyes traveled from her gift to Minato's eyes. "It's wonderful… All of this must have been very expensive, Minato."

His face cracked into a grin. "It's all right. I just had to starve Minako for several weeks."

She laughed. "Thank you."

Minato lightly touched her shoulders. He placed a small kiss on her forehead. "Happy Birthday." He murmured. Yukari gently touched the spot where he had kissed her.

Minato began walking down the driveway. He turned back to see the surprised Yukari still touching her forehead. "See you later!" he called out. He broke into a run and out of sight._Damn! I did that without even thinking!_ He thought furiously.

The moment he disappeared, Yukari let out a short breath. She felt her cheeks burn up. Gingerly, she touched them, feeling the heat emanating from her skin. "Why…am I blushing?" She wondered out loud. She retreated back into her home, still contemplating what had just happened.

Little did she know, there were four shady figures hiding in the bushes in the house next door. Akihiko, Junpei, Minako, and Miki poked their heads out of their hiding spot. They had made up the stories of their absence so Minato could be alone with Yukari. Then they all tailed the pair, hoping to see the outcome. Junpei was grinning like the Cheshire cat again, Miki and Minako looked absolutely delighted, and Akihiko still looked as confused as ever.

"He kissed her on the forehead! I can't believe he did it!" Junpei laughed excitedly.

"It looks like Yukari-san is coming to her own realization." Miki commented with a soft smile.

"Realization of what?" Akihiko asked.

"It's so obvious, it's cute!" Minako added.

"What's obvious?" the platinum haired boy asked.

Junpei threw his arm around Akihiko and said, "Akihiko, I think we should find you a girlfriend soon. Maybe you'll understand afterwards."

"Understand _what_?"

"Hey, get off my property!" an occupant of the house yelled from the window. The four kids looked at each other for a moment. Well, they were trespassing after all. The occupant had every right to yell at them.

"Now would be a good time for us to run." Junpei replied. They all nodded. They hesitated for a moment before erupting into a full sprint for the nearest train station.

(- -)

Waking up from his world, Minato found that school was coming to a close. He began packing up his books. Like in the other world, his bag was heavy with Yukari's present. Once the bell rang, students got up, leaving the classroom, and others stayed behind to socialize.

"Minato, want to hang out today?" Yukari asked.

"Sure thing."

They went to Palownia Mall. Minato accompanied Yukari around the mall, visiting shops. There was one shop that they lingered at the most. Yukari stared at the model of the latest brand bag.

"I wish I had one, but it is completely sold out right now…" She said quietly.

"Would you like one?" He asked. He took out the bag and handed it to her. "Because you can have this one for your birthday." She stared at Minato and then the purse. She threw her arms around him with gratitude.

Perhaps, under two different circumstances, Minato and Yukari belonged together in both worlds. He was sure of it.

* * *

Yes, I'm finally done with this chapter! I had a slight writer's block in addition to school. Right. Time for notes. I found out Yukari's and the birthdays of other characters from the Persona 3 fan book (which is only exclusive to Japan, of course). That book had a list of all of the birthdays of all characters. Although, only the protagonist's was not clear, except for the fact that he was born in 1992, because he is 17 in 2009. I found it interesting that I am the same age as Mitsuru, Akihiko, an Shinjiro. Haha. I do plan on having a chapter for each character's birthday. It makes it more fun, don't you think? I'm not sure which chapter should be next. Maybe it will the appearance of Fuuka. Anyway, thank you reading, and I always appreciate reviews and feedback!


	8. Bad Influences

--+--

Chapter 8

Bad Influences

Mitsuru Kirijo: Smartest girl in all of Gekkoukan High, Student Council President, one of the most popular girls in school, daughter and heir to one of the most powerful corporations in Japan and in the world. She was beautiful, elegant, and a commanding leader. All of these described Mitsuru, and Minato thought so, too. Most people were too intimidated to get to know her, really. The ones who lived with her under the same roof knew her better, but only to a certain degree.

Shinjiro and Akihiko were in the same grade as her, and they knew her longer than anyone else in the dorm. Yukari still had some contempt for her, but she was willing to work for a mutual respect between them. Ken and Fuuka admired Mitsuru greatly, and Aegis thought Mitsuru as the person to answer her questions on human life. Junpei also admired Mitsuru, but he tended to make assumptions that were completely spurred on by the influence of manga. Koromaru…well, he liked everyone, and Minato thought Mitsuru was someone he could rely on.

Though, there was one instance when all the SEES members got to see Mitsuru in a different light. It all started when Junpei was going out for ramen at the Hagakure, inviting anyone else who wanted to go with him. Minato and Shinjiro jumped at the chance to do so. Finding out that Shinjiro was going, Akihiko threw away his protein diet for the night in exchange for ramen. When Ken, Fuuka, and Aegis found out, they also joined in. Upon hearing Minato was going out for ramen, Yukari went along with the rest of the group, and with persuasion from Akihiko, Mitsuru was roped in. Koromaru was promised leftovers by Shinjiro. This was the first time anyone, aside from Akihiko, had seen Mitsuru out of her comfort zone. She was teased when she didn't know "ramen etiquette." She was fascinated with it, and she loved the way it tasted.

A couple days later, Minato, Junpei, Yukari, and Fuuka were off to get something to eat at Wild-Duck Burger, and for the first time ever, Mitsuru had time off her hands. She joined them, and again, she was mesmerized with the fact that you ate with your hands. The second years exchanged sly grins with each other. They all seemed to have the same idea, and the other SEES members agreed. Several days later, Mitsuru was taken to the Wakatsu Restaurant, Chagall Café, takoyaki stand, Game Panic, and Club Mandragora. Each time, this girl who was so intimidating, beautiful, and fabulous, was enthralled with such common things that ordinary high school students took pleasure in. She was always waiting for the next time she would experience something so amazing.

Last night was filled with karaoke, and Yukari and Junpei were just as tired as Minato. Minato was sure Fuuka, Akihiko, and Mitsuru were tired as well. Junpei was the first to sink down in his desk, pulling his cap over his eyes. Minato went down next, hiding behind his textbook. Yukari was going to succumb next. There was no way she could sit through Mr. Edogawa's long lecture without shutting her eyes.

It beckoned him. There was no way to resist, and he did not even try to.

--+--

-**November 5, 2006, Sunday**

**Tsurumaki College**

**Evening**

Minato tugged at his tie, trying to breath. He didn't wear suits very often, but tonight, he was forced to.

"Minato, _stop_!" Mrs. Arisato rebuked in a low voice.

"I'm sorry, but I can't breathe in this!"

He tugged at his tie again, and his mother slapped his hand. "I said stop!" She adjusted it, making it tighter than before. Minato made small, gagging sounds, but she ignored them. "It's only for a couple more hours, I promise."

"Two more hours?" Minato asked skeptically. "These charity dinners are such a bore."

"Now hush. You know very well this dinner tonight is very important. After all, Takeharu Kirijo is here tonight as well as his only daughter." Mrs. Arisato replied. "We must make a good impression and behave ourselves." Minato groaned silently. "Oh, look. There is Yukari. Go spend time with her." His mother gave him a slight push towards her.

Slightly abashed, he moved forward and gently touched the small of her back. He didn't want to scare her with his greeting – she was getting to be a little jumpy around him since her birthday. Minato had noticed it, and he was sure his sister and friends could see it as well. Yukari turned to see Minato, and she greeted him with a smile. She avoided his eyes a little, and the boy couldn't help but think that they both were starting to cross over the line of friendship and intimacy.

"So what do you think of this party?" Yukari asked, looking around the room. It was filled with adults, mostly the professors of Tsurumaki College. Spouses, relatives, partners, college students, and business associates also occupied the room. It wasn't so much a "dinner", but more of a formal ball for a good cause. There was music provided by a band, and couples were on the floor dancing. Others were eating or socializing.

"I think we are too young to be put into something so proper like this." Minato commented.

"I thought charity dinners were supposed to be a little more laid back, but if hosted by Kirijo, I'm not surprised if the dinner was brought to such lengths."

Minato and Yukari walked around the large room, hearing small bits of conversations and picking up any passing snack. They did not know anyone beyond their own party, that is, until Akihiko greeted them out of nowhere.

"Fancy seeing you here, Akihiko." Minato greeted. Akihiko was in a suit, and like Minato, he was tugging at his tie.

"Yes, what are you doing here?" The girl asked.

"Since Kirijo is our benefactor, we are to make an appearance." The platinum haired boy answered. He turned partly and pointed out where Shinjiro and Miki were. They were standing against the wall, looking quite bored and uncomfortable. It was a first that Minato was seeing Shinjiro in a tux. His hat had disappeared and his bushy brown hair was slicked with gel albeit, it was not taming the mess.

Yukari suppressed a giggle and said, "Shinjiro looks very miserable."

Akihiko cast both a warning stare. "Don't comment on his appearance tonight. He has a good right hook." The three approached Shinjiro and Miki. They began a conversation, and the party became a lot more agreeable. They were later interrupted by a well-dressed man who said, "Mister Takeharu Kirijo would like to see Akihiko and Miki Sanada and Shinjiro Aragaki." He saw Minato and Yukari and added, "Your friends are allowed to come as well."

They all looked at each other before following the man. They were led to another part of the room where Takeharu Kirijo and his daughter Mitsuru were conversing with other associates. Like that day he and his friends saw her behind the Gekkoukan High School gate, Mitsuru still looked gorgeous. The way she stood made her look like she was in control, and her eyes spoke that sparkle of wisdom beyond her years. Minato had a hard time comprehending that Takeharu Kirijo was Mitsuru's father. His looks were rough, well kept black hair, and gray eyes. There was a black eye patch over his right eye, and Minato almost wanted to speak like a pirate. Mr. Kirijo did not smile, his face distorted from all emotion except seriousness (much like Shinjiro's).

"Now these," Mr. Kirijo began, pulling forward Minato's friends towards the group, "are the orphans I have been sponsoring. This is Akihiko Sanada who has enormous potential as a boxer, Miki Sanada who has a beautiful voice, and Shinjiro Aragaki who shows talent in culinary arts." Minato and Yukari felt out of place as they lingered behind Shinjiro and Miki. Mr. Kirijo noticed this, and pulled them forward. "And you must be their friends."

"Yes, sir." Minato replied. "I am Minato Arisato, oldest son of Koji and Hotaru Arisato."

"And I am Yukari Takeba." Yukari added. "I am the only child of Echiiro and Keiko Takeba."

"Koji Arisato and Echiiro Takeba are professors here, are they not?"

"They are." Minato answered.

"As Akihiko takes pleasure in boxing, his sister in singing, and Shinjiro in cooking, but what do you find joy in?" Mitsuru asked.

"I personally like archery, but of all else, I like shopping and fashion." Yukari replied. Mitsuru's eyes narrowed slightly. The way Yukari and Mitsuru looked at each other felt cold as if Antarctica has stepped between them. Their views and lifestyles were completely different and it would not be a surprise if they did start butting heads.

"I happen to find joy in a lot things." Minato replied. "I do track, and that's good when I have to burn off some steam. Reading is a good way to improve the mind, shopping but only when my mom, my sister, or Yukari are dragging me along." The boy stood on the spot, thinking a little more. "I play video games when I feel like staying inside, and above all else, I listen to music."

Takeharu Kirijo reached into his coat and took out a cigarette and lighter. He blew a couple smokes and then said, "So you are one of those who are undecided about what to do with your life."

"You could say that."

Akihiko stood up a little straighter and said, "If I may speak, Mr. Kirijo…" Mitsuru's eyes that were on Minato the whole time snapped up to Akihiko now. "I think that it is fine that one has many things to take joy in. You have more opportunities to experiment different paths before settling on a decision."

"That may be so, Akihiko, but if one waits until the last minute to make a decision, it would be a waste of time, wouldn't it?" Mitsuru asked.

"Don't mistake me. I don't intend to make my decision until it is too late." Minato answered. "I have been contemplating either being a music manager, or becoming a professor like my dad."

Mr. Kirijo and his daughter tried studying Minato's face. Yukari frowned. She was almost getting the feeling that Mitsuru was judging her childhood friend and her based on what they liked to do in their spare time. The red head didn't say speak anything evil about it, but she was thinking about it. She was probably thinking that shopping and worrying about the latest fashion was a waste of time, and not knowing what to do in the future was a terrible crime.

_Well, excuse me! It isn't our fault that your future is already planned out for you!_ Yukari thought furiously.

"Well, Mr. Arisato and Miss Takeba, hopefully, I will see great things from you." Mr. Kirijo replied.

--+--

-**November 6, 2006, Monday**

**Minato's room**

**Late Night**

"Hopefully, she isn't so uptight at your school." Minato replied over the phone.

""Uptight" isn't the word for it, Minato." Akihiko cut in.

Shinjiro snickered. "You're right, Aki. "Uptight" isn't the word to describe Mitsuru Kirijo. Try pompous, snobbish, old-fashioned, and a hardass bit--"

"Shinji!!" Miki yelled.

Minato had originally called Akihiko, and in turn, he put the phone on speakerphone for both Shinjiro and Miki to hear. No one else in their dorm was in the lounge to hear this conversation – they were all in their rooms for the night.

"Mitsuru is smarter than anyone else in the class. She's proper, popular with the teachers and faculty, and the student body loves her." Akihiko described.

Shinjiro sniggered again and said gruffly, "Of course she's popular with everyone. She's the only daughter and heir of the Kirijo corporations. Anyone will suck up to her. If you manage to hit her up--"

"Shinji!!" Miki yelled again.

On his end, Minato lay down on his bed, pulling the phone away from his ear. He could hear both Sanada kids yelling at Shinjiro for being a bad influence on Miki with his foul language. After several minutes, he put the phone back to his ear and said, "No matter what you say, I still think she's uptight." He scoffed. "You should have heard Yukari during school today. She wouldn't stop ranting about her. She called her an arrogant, spoiled brat."

"Heh. Good to know Yukari is thinking along my lines." Shinjiro commented.

"I like her." Miki cut in. "She's actually very nice."

"Only when she can spare you a moment out of her busy life." Akihiko added. "Though I wonder if she has any friends."

"Her status drives probably drives everyone away." Minato suggested.

"No surprise there."

Miki stared at the phone and said softly, "I think she's actually very lonely." Shinjiro and Akihiko stared at each other, and on the other end, Minato slowly pulled the phone from his ear. Mitsuru probably was.

--+--

-**November 8, 2006, Wednesday**

**Community baseball field**

**After School**

A baseball diamond stood in the middle of a small community of apartment complexes. The buildings towered high, leaving the field somewhat bare and empty. This afternoon, the field was no longer empty. Minato, Junpei, Akihiko, Shinjiro, and few of the guys from both Adachi and Konata Middle School were crowding in this field. This community field was well known to everyone in the city. This field was one of the only ones to be in the city without having to travel to the suburbs.

"So what is this all about?" Mitsuru asked. While all the guys were deciding on teams, Yukari, Mitsuru, and several other girls were sitting on the ground against the chain link fence surrounding the baseball field.

"These guys are spending their afternoon playing a game of baseball." Yukari explained in simple terms.

"How come I was invited?"

"If you didn't want to come, then you should leave right now." Yukari snapped. "You were invited because Akihiko, Shinjiro, and Minato thought you could do something more interesting than schoolwork." Truth be told, this game was pretty last minute. After Miki had commented on the suggestion of Mitsuru's loneliness, a plan was formed to get Mitsuru to gain some friends. Junpei and Yukari were added in the plan the next day and they had little time to prepare.

So the baseball game commenced. Teams were divided so Konata and Adachi students were separate and then some were traded to make both sides even. Both sides were evenly matched in skill. Minato noted that Junpei was not so bad at baseball after all. He had potential but still needed practice because when swinging the bat, he always stepped off on the wrong foot. Maybe Minato would have to fulfill his own end of the bargain.

Shinjiro stepped up to the plate now. Minato was pitching for his team. He turned to his team, signaling them to spread out and move farther back. He was very aware of what Shinjiro was capable of. Shinjiro was all about brute strength, here and in reality. Minato pitched the ball, and sure enough, Shinjiro hit the ball with everything he had. The ball spun in the air, over the heads and gloves of Minato's team. It collided through the window of one of the apartments.

Everyone fell silent. Mitsuru looked at everyone, wondering why every person's face was white. Okay, so a window was broken, so what? All they had to do was apologize and pay for the damage. Mitsuru watched Yukari and the other girls struggle to their feet, and she, too, did the same.

"You know that was Fujiyoshi Tadashi's window, right?" Shinjiro asked.

"We know." Junpei answered.

_Five…_

In silence, everyone gathered their belongings.

_Four…_

Both teams began leaving the field as quickly as possible.

_Three…_

The girls followed behind Yukari. Mitsuru was still puzzled as to why this was such a big deal to each.

_Two…_

Yukari caught Minato and Junpei's eyes and mouthed words to them. In turn, they got the attention of Shinjiro and Akihiko and repeated Yukari's words to them.

_One…_

This was it. Minato had anticipated this, and now was the time that—

"_WHAT THE BLAZING HELL IS THIS?! WHICH BRAT WAS THE ONE WHO BROKE MY WINDOW?!" _yelled Fujiyoshi Tadashi.

The quiet filing of middle school students turned into a stampede like animals running from a lion. Everyone broke into a mad run to escape the wrath of the cranky old man. Yukari grabbed Mitsuru's hand, and pulled her along as she ran.

"Wait! What about the window?" Mitsuru yelled.

"Are you crazy?!" Yukari yelled back. "This is Fujiyoshi Tadashi we're talking about here!! It would be best to run!"

"W-why?!"

Yukari didn't hear her over the sound of stampeding feet. Even though they were distancing themselves from Fujiyoshi Tadashi, not one person stopped running. This stampede headed for the train station. Shinjiro, Akihiko, Junpei, and Minato boarded a different train from the others, and as the doors to Iwatodai train were closing, Yukari and Mitsuru slipped passed them. They all sat on the seats, trying to catch their breath.

"I don't think I've run so much before." Junpei panted.

"At least we escaped Mr. Tadashi." Minato pointed out.

"For now!" Yukari added.

"I still don't get it." Mitsuru cried out. "Why did we have to run away? Isn't it the right thing to turn yourself in and work to pay for the damages?" They all looked at each other and then at Mitsuru.

Junpei adjusted his hat and said, "I think you are the only person not to know."

"Know what?"

"The window we broke was Fujiyoshi Tadashi's. He is the dirtiest, nastiest, crabbiest man in the city." Minato explained.

Akihiko coughed and in a low tone, he said, "That's how Shinjiro will be when he is an old man." His best friend glared at him and without another second thought, his fist collided with Akihiko's gut. He grimaced. He was used to punches, really, and the joke was completely worth it, too.

Yukari pretended to not to notice that Shinjiro had just punched Akihiko. "I swear he's also a pervert. Anytime he gets near some girl in a school uniform, he gets overexcited." She said.

The train stopped at Iwatodai station. Mitsuru reluctantly stepped off with the others.

"We should get something to eat." Shinjiro replied. He coughed slightly and said quietly, "Ramen."

"Ramen sounds good." Junpei agreed.

"Ramen?" Mitsuru asked. This was all new to her.

With an amused smile, Akihiko said, "Yeah, ramen. It's what orphans and poor college students live off of." Minato, Yukari, and Junpei snickered.

"Studies have shown that the ramen at the Hagakure is good for your complexion." Yukari added, pulling Mitsuru with her. The heir to the Kirijo corporations succumbed to her curiosity and followed along.

The rest of the day mirrored that day from Minato's reality. Mitsuru ate her first bowl of ramen, and her questions were poked fun at. She didn't seem to mind though. Her normally serious face lightened up and she was enjoying herself as she laughed along with her new friends. She wasn't so lonely anymore, and it was all thanks to their bad influence.

--+--

Minato raised his head. He checked his watch and saw that class had ended five minutes ago. It was lunchtime now.

"Hey, Minato!" Junpei called. Minato rubbed his eyes as he looked up at his friend. "We should all go do karaoke after school!"

"Today's Wednesday, right?" Minato asked.

"Uh…yeah."

The boy slipped off his chair and stretched a little. "Then we can't after school. Mitsuru and I have a Student Council meeting, and she says it's important enough to require my attendance."

Junpei kicked the floor and said, "Well, that's too bad. I really want to hear Mitsuru sing "24 Wishes" again."

Minato grinned. "We can always pass on Tartarus tonight and head for Club Mandragora again."

The other boy slapped his friend on the back. "Good call!!"

* * *

Thank goodness this chapter is done now. I thought that I wouldn't be to finish it for some weird reason. So now, Mitsuru is added to the group. Yay! I remembered some of Mitsuru's early events in her commu, and that was when Minato took her out for ramen, takoyaki, and Wild-Duck Burger and those scenes always make me laugh. I noticed that Shinjiro hasn't gotten a lot of dialogue, so I was able to fit him in with his...choice of words. xD At the end, "24 Wishes" was chosen because Mitsuru's Japanese voice is done by Rie Tanaka, and "24 Wishes" is a song on one of her CDs. Irony. Haha. Anyway, next chapter will be...ironic in a way. The next scenario was planned to be the next chapter, and ironically, I'm going through what Minato does in the next chapter. 

And by the way, thank you all for the reviews!! ;-; You guys made me so happy with them. They always make my day. Really. So, tell me what you think of this chapter as well!


	9. Minato's Sick Day

Chapter 9

Minato's Sick Day

Minato cursed himself for his stupidity and lack of judgment. Finals were approaching and he planned that SEES would dedicate themselves to studying. (Except Junpei, of course.) That meant no Tartarus for a whole week. For a week, every night was filled with Tartarus. Minato wanted to pull the team to the next barrier before finals, but they couldn't make it. Everyone was ready when they first started, but now on the day before reviews began, everyone was sick and tired. Minato cursed himself for the stupid idea of making his team tired the week before finals. They wouldn't have the energy to study because it was all wasted on fighting Shadows and climbing the bloodstained floors of Tartarus.

Minato was just as fatigued as the others. It was starting to get colder outside as well. He figured that he as coming down with a cold. He shuddered at the thought of having to go down to the nurse's office for that mystery potion. He shut his eyes. It was review week, but Minato didn't have the strength or the will to stay awake. Hopefully, Yukari was taking good notes because he would have to copy hers down later…

(- -)

-**December 7, 2006, Thursday**

**Adachi Middle School, Class 8-C**

**After School**

As Yukari was packing up her books, she stared at the empty seat behind her. He wasn't here again today. She sighed aloud without even thinking. This caused Junpei to raise his head and look at her.

"What's wrong?" He asked. He looked at where she was staring and a smirk passed his lips. "Missing your boyfriend, huh, Yuka-tan?"

She turned on him sharply and snapped, "Shut up! I told you before, Stupei! Minato and I are just friends!"

Junpei made a small, quick cough and in a low tone he muttered, "Wait two more years and try to say that again."

"What?"

"Nothing." He said quickly, noting the slight blush on her cheeks.

Yukari sighed again and said, "It's not like him to be absent from school for such a long time. He rarely missed school when we were younger. He had perfect attendance when we were in the third grade!"

Junpei pretended to yawn and in an apathetic tone, he said, "Oh, fantastic." He pointed to his right. "Instead of wondering where Minato is, why don't you ask his little sister? Her school is just down the road."

She grabbed her bag and started for the classroom door. "I think I'll do that." Junpei hastily grabbed his belongings and went after her.

"Oh, what a doting girlfriend you are!" Junpei called after her.

"I said shut up!" Yukari screamed. She whirled around, smacking Junpei in the face with her bag.

"Ow!"

(- -)

-**December 7, 2006, Thursday**

**Courtyard of Minako's school**

**After School**

"Huh? My brother?" Minako asked. "Oh, he's sick with a cold!"

"A cold?" Yukari asked.

"Yes, Yuka-tan. Minato has a cold." Junpei interjected. "Weren't you listening? Mina-tan _just_ said it."

The girl glared at Junpei, but turned back to Minako, bringing herself down to eye level with Minato's sister. Junpei caught Minako's eye and mouthed, "She's crazy for your brother." He followed it with two thumbs up and a grin. The small girl didn't laugh, but she smirked slightly as she returned her attention to Yukari.

"Minako, I thought that Minato wouldn't miss school even if it was for a small cold." Yukari replied. "It's a week before finals as well. He never misses a day of review."

"But it was really bad this time! Ironically, he caught the cold because of his constant studying."

"What?"

Minako's face lightened up though as if she just got a brilliant idea. "I'll tell you more if you treat me to takoyaki or Wild Duck Burger!" she said.

"Wha-? Minako, you thief! You can leech of your brother, but why me, too?"

Junpei moved closer to Yukari and whispered conspicuously, "Get her takoyaki – it's cheaper!"

The small girl placed her hands on her hips and said, "I can hear you."

"That was the whole point, Mina-tan."

Yukari let out an impatient sigh and stamped her foot. "Fine, let's go get some takoyaki." She turned her heel, walking away swiftly.

"Yay!" Minako ran after Yukari and Junpei followed after, not wanting to be left behind.

(- -)

-**December 7, 2006, Thursday**

**Iwatodai Strip Mall**

**After School**

Arriving at the takoyaki stand at the Iwatodai Strip Mall, Yukari bought three – one for Minako, one for Junpei, and one for her. Yukari immediately regretted her decision to buy one for herself. She never really could finish all of it by herself, and whenever she went to buy takoyaki, Minato was always with her to finish what she couldn't eat.

Minako looked up at Yukari and spotted her frown. Her eyes twinkled with a mischievous flair and she said, "If you can't finish it, then I will take it home to my brother for you."

"What?" Junpei didn't look up from his plate, but he smirked. Minako's lips nearly revealed a smirk, but she turned it into an innocent smile. The older girl brushed off their smiles, the blush on her cheeks, and said, "Okay, so else did you want to tell us?"

"Oh, right. So anyway, I said before that my brother got sick when he was studying." Minako explained. "He said that his grades didn't look good to him, and he wanted to raise them up. He continued to ignore it and it got worse, almost to the point where he had gotten a fever and couldn't hear much in his left ear. Mom saw how bad it was getting and she kept him home."

"What an idiot." Junpei muttered. "He's already one of the top students in the class!"

Minako waved her hand and stuffed another takoyaki in her mouth. "It's for Gekkoukan." She replied while chewing. Yukari scolded her for talking with her mouth full. The small girl ignored the scolding and continued, "Minato wants to become the top student in the class. If Minato is the top student when he graduates next year, he will get a free scholarship to Gekkoukan."

"Provided by the Kirijo group, right?" Junpei asked. Minako and Yukari nodded.

"It's his dream to enter that school," Yukari replied, "and Gekkoukan only accepts those with talent and brains."

"Honestly…Minato is such an idiot…"

(- -)

-**December 9, 2006, Saturday**

**Arisato Residence**

**After School**

"Oh, welcome, Yukari and Junpei." Mrs. Arisato greeted as she opened the door. _Mrs. Arisato is about four months pregnant now_, both kids thought when they saw her. She was starting her third trimester, and the bump on her stomach was starting to get a lot more visible. For a mother who was working as a receptionist in a hotel (run by Kirijo), running a fourteen and seven-year-old around the house, pregnant, no doubt keeping her husband in check, cleaning the house, and cooking not only her family but also for three orphans, Yukari wondered how Mrs. Arisato could still look so _cheerful_.

"Come in out of the cold now." Minato's mother urged, pulling Yukari and Junpei inside. "It always gets so cold here in the city, but it doesn't snow. It's so disappointing." She noticed both of them were shivering slightly and said, "Would you both like something hot to eat?" She strode into the kitchen, and opened up one of the pots. A spicy smell rose into the air along with the steam stinging their olfactory senses.

"Mrs. Arisato, what did you make?" Junpei asked.

"Oh, this is Chili con carne! One of the cooks at the hotel had the recipe for it so he lent it to me when I asked!" Mrs. Arisato answered. "I cooked it the original Texas style, but I'm not sure if it turned out well. I made some for Minato as well. Hopefully, he'll feel better if he ate some."

"Oh." Yukari stepped forward, clutching a plastic container close to her body. "Speaking of Minato, I made him some chicken noodle soup."

Mrs. Arisato smiled softly. "You're so sweet, Yukari! I'm sure Minato will be grateful for the thought." Yukari blushed a little, and his mom's smile widened a little. She saw the blush and immediately suspected what was going on. She took the container from Yukari's hands and said, "I'll warm this up and have you take to Minato yourself."

"Yes, ma'am." Mrs. Arisato opened the container and poured its contents into a bowl and stuck it in the microwave. "How is Minato doing?"

"Still sick. He would get better if he would stop pushing himself to study." She answered. "I had to pry his computer from his hands, but no doubt, he picked it up again when I left the room."

"Sounds like something he would do." Junpei commented. He stared at the chili hungrily.

Mrs. Arisato noticed Junpei's stares and asked, "Junpei, dear, would you like to try the chili?"

"I, uh..."

Without waiting to hear the answer, Mrs. Arisato pulled out another bowl, scooped some of the chili into it, and pushed it towards Junpei with a spoon. "Consider this as your lunch."

"You are the best, Mrs. Arisato!" Junpei picked up the bowl and sat down at the table.

"Would like a bowl as well, Yukari?"

"Oh, no, I don't want to impose."

"Nonsense!" The mom forced Yukari to sit down next to Junpei and laid a bowl of chili in front of her. "I made a lot, so there is plenty for Minato, when Minako and my husband get home, enough to appease my baby and me, for dinner tonight, and for the Sanada kids and Shinjiro. Speaking of which…" She opened a cabinet and withdrew a plastic container and started filling it up.

"Shinjiro would probably be interested in the recipe so you should give that to him as well." Junpei replied as he munched on the chili. It was quite delicious. It was quite thick and the spices were strong. Both Junpei and Yukari were careful not to breathe in the smell directly so they would not be overwhelmed with the spices.

"Good idea." A few minutes later, Mrs. Arisato laid a tray on the table in front of Yukari. On it was the bowl of chicken noodle soup Yukari had made. "After you finish eating, you may take that to my son upstairs. And if he is at his computer again, tear it away and make him rest."

After finishing the delicious chili, Yukari took the tray upstairs with Junpei following behind her. They opened the door at the end of the hallway on the right side. Minato's room was always tidy, but today, it was unusually messy. Textbooks and papers were strewn about the room, littering the floor and his desk. Minato lay on his back on his bed, his upper body propped up by several pillows. On his stomach was his computer.

Minato turned his head to see his two friends in the doorway. "Hey…" he said tiredly.

"Minato, you are sick." Yukari said cautiously.

"I know."

"You should rest."

"I have no time for rest."

"Junpei, take the computer." Yukari ordered.

Junpei stepped forward and after expressing an apology, he pulled away Minato's laptop. Minato didn't have enough energy to fight back and he watched his computer slip through his fingers. Junpei shut it and laid it on Minato's desk. Yukari sat down next to Minato with the tray. She began feeding the sick boy the soup.

"You're an idiot, Minato." She said in a quiet voice.

"So my sister and my mom tell me." He shot back with a small smile.

Junpei scoffed. "You're an idiot. There, that makes four." He said bluntly.

"Much appreciated, Junpei."

About an hour of spending time with Minato, Mrs. Arisato later came in with a plate of freshly baked cookies. Junpei was just about ready to ask her to be his mom instead. After giving them the cookies, Mrs. Arisato took this as an opportunity to begin gathering the books and papers strewn around the room. She shoved them all, including Minato's computer into a chest and locked it up. Her son watched helplessly while she largely ignored his requests.

"I know all the parents in the city are nagging their children to study for finals this week, but I shall be different this time." She replied. "Minato, I'm begging you not to study and just rest so you may get well. What good is it for you to study and _die_ before you even take the test?"

Yukari grinned and asked, "What will you do with the chest, Mrs. Arisato?"

"I'll let Minako handle it until after finals are over. That girl is has always been a light sleeper and she pays attention to detail."

_She's got that right_, Minato thought.

"Junpei, could you please carry this downstairs?"

"Sure."

Junpei picked up the chest and followed Mrs. Arisato out of the room. Yukari turned back to Minato and said, "You really should get some rest."

"Fine, I will, but only because my mom took all of my study materials." He said. "By the way, that soup was delicious. Reminds me of the last time I got sick."

Yukari scoffed and then sighed. "I remember. I kept messing the soup up."

"Really? It tasted fine to me."

"I was five! I didn't know how to cook then!" The girl laughed. "I messed up so many times, and left a mess in the kitchen. I didn't get it right until my mom helped me."

Minato rose from his pillows a little, moving slightly closer towards Yukari. The girl almost thought he was going to make a move on her until Minato said quietly, "Hey, Yukari. Let me borrow your textbooks."

She smirked slightly, pushing him back into his pillows. "Nice try, but no."

"I'll fail the finals if I don't study."

"_Junpei_ will fail if he doesn't study._You_ will die if you do study." Yukari pulled away and was almost out of the door when she turned back and ordered Minato to stay in bed and sleep.

(- -)

-**December 18, 2006, Monday**

**Adachi Middle School, Class 8-C**

**Lunchtime**

The classroom door opened up and a student rushed inside announcing, "The test results are posted up now!" The student retreated back into the hall to pass the word on to everyone.

Yukari turned around in her chair and asked, "Should we go take a look?"

Junpei groaned, muttering something about "already knowing what he got on his exams." Minato agreed and began dragging Junpei with him as they all headed for the faculty office. Other students were rushing there, and without a doubt there would be a large crowd. In front of the office, students crowded around to find their grades. The three friends fought their way to the front for a plain view of the results.

Junpei pointed at his name and yelled, "I can't believe it! I got an average score!"

"Congratulations, Junpei! That's your best test score yet!" Yukari congratulated happily. "I can't believe you actually studied."

He puffed out his chest. "Yeah, well." He looked back onto the board and pointed at Yukari's score. "As always, you get above average, Yuka-tan."

Minato pointed at his name past his two friends. He silently stared at his grade and in a low voice, he said, "I didn't get the top score."

"Huh?"

"I'm in second place."

"Oh, I'm sorry Minato."

"Tough luck, dude. Maybe next time you'll be the top of the class. Hey! Look on the bright side! You moved up two ranks!" Junpei replied, slapping his friend on the back.

Minato's face cracked into a grin. "Yeah, you're right. There is always a next time. So where should we go after school?"

"We're doing something after school?" Yukari asked.

The three began heading back to their classroom so they could eat lunch and get on with the day. As they ascended the stairs to the third floor, Minato answered Yukari's question by saying, "Well, we have to celebrate Junpei and his highest score yet."

"Aw, you guys are making me blush!"

"Minato's right! We have to celebrate Junpei studying for once! I'm sure Minako, Miki, her brother, and Shinjiro would agree!"

"In celebration for my awesome grade, we should hit Club Mandragora tonight!"

"Shinjiro would kick your ass over that." Minato pointed out.

"It's always ramen with him." Yukari added.

Their conversation continued until classes started up again.

(- -)

Minato stirred when he felt a warm hand on his forehead. He looked up to see Yukari and Fuuka's faces hovering above him.

"Wow, you were completely out of it, Minato." Fuuka commented. "Is he always like this?"

"Yep. Junpei as well." Yukari commented, jerking her head towards the seat next to Minato's. Minato turned and saw his friend still sleeping. He was drooling a little as well. "You know, Minato, if you're sick, you should pay a visit to the nurse."

"I was thinking about that, but I don't want to try the "medicine" Mr. Edogawa has." The boy answered.

"Then you should just go back to the dorm early and sleep."

"Sleep, huh? It's not the first time I've heard that remedy before. It sounds like my dream all over again." Minato muttered. Both girls asked if he said something to which he denied. Junpei was prodded awake and the four of them went downstairs to buy their lunch.

Honestly, Minato didn't have enough strength to be scolded for not paying attention to his again. He just experienced it in his dream (or alternate universe? Minato didn't know what to call it anymore.). He knew what he was going to do tonight: sleep early.

* * *

MY. FINALS. ARE. OVER. :D I consider this chapter to be a double irony now. When I first started the chapter, I was sick, very much like Minato. As I close up this chapter, I was just finishing up my own finals. Thank goodness they are over. More Minato x Yukari fluff here. Honestly, I wasn't planning on it, but it just came out as I was writing. For the ending, I was thinking of having Minato's goal being achieved and becoming the top of the class, but I decided against it. Minato can't always get his way now, can he? I found it more realistic if he came close. And Junpei getting an average score on his exams! That was the grade that he got on his December exams in the game, so maybe he needs some achievement. :D

I'm not quite sure what the next chapter will be. I'll figure it out later. I thank you for the reviews left, and I also thank you for reading! It makes me happy when people read and enjoy my stories.


	10. DEREDEDEDEDE! Junpei has Leveled Up!

(-- --)

Chapter 10

DEREDEDEDEDE! Junpei has Leveled Up!

As Minato looked around the lounge of the dorm, he couldn't help but think that he didn't really know everyone. They had been living together under the same roof for a little while now, but when did they actually sit down and get to really know each other? He knew they were all hiding behind their own persona, their own mask – even Minato was doing so as well. They all knew he was an orphan, but did they know about the hell he went through after his parents' death? They didn't know that he was passed around his relatives, suffering each one's contempt for him. He wasn't a very likeable boy to them – emotionless, quiet, apathetic, and always listening to that his music of his. Each relative said the same thing: "Why did we have to take him in? He was _forced_ on us! He's such a burden."

No one spoke more than what was needed. Akihiko never spoke of why he was so keen for power. (Minato had an inkling it was about that girl in the photo he found before.) Minato could not understand at the moment why Shinjiro and Akihiko accused each other for not being able to let go of the past. Yukari never spoke of the status of her broken family. Ken would not reveal why he was always locked up in his room or stared enigmatically at Shinjiro. Fuuka never really explained why she did accept the invitation to join SEES so quickly. Mitsuru revealed more about the past of her family, but nothing more than that. Aegis did not (or could not?) reveal the details of her life when she was first activated, and Koromaru couldn't be understood by anyone except by Aegis. She wasn't saying anything either. Junpei was the most talkative out of the group, and yet, he was keeping his previous life before SEES under wraps.

They were all chained – not only to their obligation of fighting the Shadows, but to their own secretive past and the persona they wore to hide it.

That day in class, Minato laid his head down to rest. He looked at Junpei for a moment before looking away. Junpei was always laughing, cracking jokes, acting like the class clown…but what was behind that façade?

(-- --)

-**January 16, 2007, Tuesday**

**Palownia Mall, Game Panic**

**After School**

Chatter and the music of various games filled the arcade. Amidst the various kids and students, were Minato and his friends: Junpei, Yukari, Akihiko, Mitsuru, and Shinjiro. Minako, Maiko, and Miki were also with them, but they were playing DDR instead. Today is Junpei's birthday, so he got to choose the place to hang out. Yukari protested going to Game Panic, asking why they had to do something so common on a special occasion.

"Crap…" Junpei muttered, violently hitting the buttons of the game. Opposite him was Akihiko, who in reverse was hitting the buttons rather calmly.

"KO!" The game stated. "Player 2 wins!"

"Dammit!!" Junpei yelled, slamming his fists on the game panel. "I let my guard down and lost!"

Yukari snickered and said, "Or maybe you just suck, Junpei."

"Hey, shut up! I resent that!"

Akihiko stood up and said, "Normally, since Junpei lost, he would be buying us food—"

"Ramen." Shinjiro coughed.

"It's his birthday. You can't make him buy us food." Minato cut in. "We'll play another game and the loser will be paying."

The group walked around the arcade, looking for another game to decide the fate of the loser. Yukari spotted the classic Whack-a-Mole game. Dragging Mitsuru with her, they both began playing. "Whoever hits less moles will be buying food for us all!" Junpei yelled over their shoulders.

"Shut up, Stupei!" Yukari yelled back, smacking the moles furiously. The game became faster, with more moles popping up to say hello and only to escape or be hit with a plastic hammer.

For fun, Minato and Junpei crowded around Yukari, helping her hit moles that popped up. Their hands were starting to hurt. Minato even suggested taking off a shoe and use it as a substitute hammer. Seeing the unfair advantage, Akihiko went to Mitsuru, helping her out the way the other two boys were doing. Shinjiro watched them all, hitting moles like idiots, and sighed. He walked over to Mitsuru's side with his hands stuffed in his pockets. He still didn't like her too much, but he could at least make an effort to start. He ripped the plastic hammer away from Mitsuru and mercilessly smashed every mole in sight. Akihiko was careful not to have his hands get in the way. With even one hand smashed, he wouldn't be able to box for a while.

The music ended and the group looked at the score. In a twist of fate or just plain coincidence, it was a tie. Curses were muttered the group moved on through the arcade. They even passed by the DDR machine where Minako and Maiko were facing off and Miki was watching. Junpei looked around and spotted a particular game.

"Hey look! It's the classic Line to Hell! And it is the Maniacs version too!" He said.

"Wow, they still have those?" Yukari asked.

"It's a waste of time. You'll never beat it." Shinjiro replied. "Line to Hell has always been impossible to beat."

"It's that hard?" Mitsuru asked.

"I'll try my luck at it." Minato offered. He sat down at the game, inserted money, and the game started. The game did not begin right away. Music could be heard as Minato's friends crowded in a little closer to him.

"So what does EPMS mean?" Junpei asked.

"Excessively powered mach speed." Minato said absentmindedly. Honestly, he didn't know what it meant, but Junpei was bound to believe it if it sounded intelligent.

"It actually means electrically powered multiple stops." Mitsuru corrected.

"And what about DPMS?"

"Debilitating parietal melting speed."

"It actually means diesel powered multiple stops."

"Go!" The game cried.

Terrible noises came from the game. Rattles and violent screeches grew louder. Yukari flinched at the sound, and even the normally collected Mitsuru was hanging onto Akihiko, trying to shirk away from the sounds and sight of this game. Akihiko was growing horrified and embarrassed, not because of the graphic game, but because the most popular girl in Konata Middle School was hanging onto his arm with no intention of letting go. Shinjiro showed mild amusement at Minato's progress, and Junpei had absolute fear written all over his face.

"Game Over" flashed across the screen, mocking Minato. He turned around and with a sheepish smile, he said, "Whoops. Looks like I lost. You're right, Shinjiro. This is a hard game."

Junpei exploded. "'_Whoops_' is all you have to say?! You can't say that you're not scarred from those graphics!"

The navy haired boy turned back to the game then to his friends. He shrugged with a casual, "Meh." This earned him another yell from Junpei.

"Dude, being a train conductor should never be one of your career options!" Junpei replied, slapping Minato on the back and shaking his head.

"Minato, if you do decide to become a train conductor, you will have to know the real meaning of EPMS and DPMS." Mitsuru commented with a laugh.

They all started wandering around again. They all grew bored with Game Panic shortly afterwards. They still had a couple more hours before it would start to get dark. Junpei proposed that they play baseball for the rest of the afternoon, and Akihiko pointed out they needed a full roster of nine players.

"Hopefully no one will object, but if we add in my sister, your sister, and Maiko, we will have all our players." Minato answered.

"Well, that's settled!" Junpei exclaimed. "Let's stop at my house first so we can get the baseball stuff."

(-- --)

-**January 16, 2007, Tuesday**

**Iori Residence**

**After School**

Junpei and all his friends stepped inside the Iori household. It was a small two-story house, enough for only Junpei and his mom. He didn't mention his family often. He only stated before that his mom was working two jobs to support only two people. Junpei didn't have any other siblings either. Minato presumed that with Mrs. Iori working so hard, her son didn't see too much of her. That must be why the only son hung out with his friends often – their warmth was the closest thing to a real family.

"You guys can wander around a little bit if you want. There isn't much to see though. I'll just run upstairs to get all my baseball gear." Junpei replied.

"Hey, I'll help." Minato offered.

Shinjiro sniffed the air, his scowl deepening. "Does anyone in your family drink a lot, Junpei?" he asked.

"Uh…"

Shinjiro's face became darker than usual. "I know this smell…how could I ever forget it?"

Junpei's normally cheerful, upbeat face turned dark as well. "I honestly don't know where it is coming from. He shouldn't even **be** here right now."

Everyone looked from Shinjiro to Junpei, wondering at what they were talking about. Perhaps the only two who had almost a clear idea was Akihiko and Miki. The latter gently tugged at Shinjiro's sleeve and said, "Shinji-san, is it the same as your dad?" He looked down on her, and she didn't flinch under his gaze. She and her brother knew him better than anyone else, and he didn't mean any hostility towards her. He was just hardened by what had happened to him in his childhood.

Junpei moved further into his home, trying to find the source of the alcoholic smell. The source was found just upstairs. There, on the floor, was a man in his late forties. He was unshaven and unkempt – several bottles of hard liquor surrounding him. Some were empty; others were opened and spilled on the floor. Junpei grimaced at the sight.

"What is he doing here?" He asked aloud.

"We should be asking you that, Junpei." Yukari replied. "Who is that man?" Mitsuru pursed her lips together. She began pulling Maiko and Minako with her downstairs. She knew what was going on and the sight was not for a pair of seven-year olds.

"That old man…is my dad." He said with disgust.

The man opened his eyes, trying to focus on the faces above him. The only one he recognized was his son's. His face made a drunken grin, and he attempted to sit up. "Ju-Ju-Junpei!" He called, slurring his son's name. As he spoke, everyone could smell that Mr. Iori's breath heavily reeked with alcohol. "H-h-how are you m'boy?!"

"I'm fine. What are you doing here? You shouldn't even be here, especially with the restraining order still active." Junpei asked, taking one step back, almost pushing his friends down the stairs.

"I c-came to try and s-s-speak with your mother abou-ut coming back."

"She won't be back until late tonight."

"Oh really?" Mr. Iori looked at his son as thoroughly as he could. Minato could imagine that his eyesight was spinning right now. "You look m-m-more grown up, boy! Give your papa a hug!" Junpei threw him a disgusted look. He continued pressing his friends down the stairs as he vehemently refused. "I said, give me a hug!" Minato was starting to get very worried. It looked like he was starting to get angry, and even violent.

"No!"

"You punk!"

Mr. Iori moved to hit his son with a bottle in his hand. Junpei shut his eyes, bracing for the blow, but it never came. There was a shatter of glass, and the sound of liquid hitting the hardwood floor with a splash. Junpei opened his eyes to see Shinjiro in front of him, his now bloody arms raised up. Shinjiro had _defended_ him?

"Shinji!" Akihiko yelled.

"I…really hate…drunken bastards like you!!" Shinjiro yelled. He pushed back Mr. Iori, punching him in the face with a heavy blow. Bone collided with bone, creating a revolting crunch.

"Shinji!"

Minato and Akihiko threw themselves onto Shinjiro, trying their best to apprehend him from his motive of causing Junpei's father any more harm. Shinjiro was buff and quite strong. There was almost no way they could hold him back from committing a terrible crime. Junpei was shaken up, and he leaned on Yukari for support.

"It's not worth it, Shinji! Just let it go!" Akihiko replied.

"Get off, both of you! Do you know how much misery assholes like him can cause?!"

"Aragaki, that's enough." Mitsuru commanded as she came back up from downstairs.

"Yes, Shinji. It's not worth it. If you kill him, you won't be any better than your own dad." Miki replied quietly.

Shinjiro shrugged off Akihiko and Minato. He huffed and went downstairs. They all followed afterwards. No one was in the mood to play baseball anymore, and Shinjiro's cuts needed to be treated as soon as possible.

(-- --)

-**January 16, 2007, Tuesday**

**Palownia Mall, Outside of the Pharmacy**

**After School**

They bought bandages and an antibiotic at the pharmacy, enduring the curious glances from the storeowner. Junpei called his mom and told her that her husband was waiting for her at the house. Shinjiro, Junpei, and Miki sat down on the fountain edge. Yukari was bandaging up Shinjiro's cuts on his arms, as everyone else was crowded around them.

"This is nothing." Shinjiro huffed. "I've endured far worse than this."

"Do you mean that your father beat you as a child?" Mitsuru asked. This was the first she ever heard of it.

He made a slight nod. "Why do you think I'm an orphan?" He didn't have to go any farther than that. Mitsuru was a smart girl. She could figure out what had happened to him.

Junpei began fidgeting. "…my dad wasn't always a dunk." He said quietly. All attention turned to him. "He only started when he was tricked into giving away his life savings to some scam. Afterwards, he hated himself enough to drink into oblivion.

"My mom said that it would be okay. We just had to earn enough money to get by and then go from there. My old man's constant drinking caused us to be in debt further. Mom got fed up with having a passed out husband who was starting to have violent tendencies. She got a restraining order against him and with the help of her parents, we both moved here. She got new jobs and transferred me into Adachi."

Shinjiro scoffed. "At least you and your mom were able to get away." He said. "My mom had chances to get away, and yet she stayed with him. She wanted to support him during his dark days…"

Minako looked at everyone's sullen faces and frowned. "Hey! Today is Junpei's birthday! We shouldn't be sad! So, we should continue celebrating, right?" she asked.

"Haha, thanks Mina-tan." Junpei replied with a half-hearted grin.

Minato agreed with his little sister and said, "If I call my mom now, I can get her started on a cake." Yukari perked up and added that if she called now, her mom could help with cooking and baking, and her father could join in on the party after work.

"Ha. Birthdays at the Arisato household sound like fun."

"Everyone is welcome to come as well." Minato added with a nod.

"A party doesn't sound so bad, but it's a weekday. Will it be all right?" Mitsuru asked. She frowned and added, "I don't want to neglect my studies.

Akihiko smirked. "Oh, it's fine. It's only for one day. You are the smartest girl in the school, you'll survive one night without studying." Mitsuru pressed her lips together in thought. She then mirrored Minato by shrugging with a casual, "Meh."

Junpei grabbed Minato's jacket and whispered to him, "Minato, you're a bad influence on Mitsuru! She's starting to pick up your bad habits!"

"Oh, and you aren't? You got her hooked on chocolate cornet bread!" Minato shot back with a grin.

The mood lightened up again. Petty arguments were dispute, jokes were made, laughs chorused through them. This afternoon made Minato realize that everyone was there for each other. No matter how different they were – no matter what secret they were chained to – the fact remained that they were going to support one another. Whether it will be by taking a bullet for a friend, fighting for another, no longer running away, keeping others connected, believing in a hero, never looking back, healing a loved one's wounds, finding the meaning of life, or just wishing to protect those you with your very life and soul – they all had ways of supporting each other. These were their resolutions.

And by these resolutions, they were chained to each other.

* * *

My first intention was to make this chapter very light-hearted, especially since it was subject to Junpei's birthday. But as I was writing the introduction, it became more serious, and I began making it darker as I wrote on. If you have read the scanlations for the Persona 3 manga, then you must have passed Piece 6.5. If you read that piece, then I'm sure you picked out that the first part mirrored that piece only with no Aegis and Ryoji, but those two will make their appearance way later in the story. Then the story got darker afterwards. If you recall from the chapter that introduced the Sanadas and Shinjiro, (for this story) Shinjiro became an orphan because his dad was a drunk. And if you recall from the game, the only insight to Junpei's family life was that his dad was an alcoholic. I brought these two things together, and I was surprised that Shinjiro gained a much bigger role in this chapter, and that made me very happy. I didn't write an epilogue to this chapter since I couldn't find the right words or scene for when Minato woke up during class. I think the ending line is good enough. My final note will be on the ways to support each other - the words in the second to last paragraph. If you've played the game, you would probably understand it. That's right, each one is their resolution that each character comes to after the death of Shinjiro.

Well, that's enough of that. I'm off to work on this P3 one-shot I have in mind, but I'm still far from done. I shall also start working on the next chapter. No, it won't be Fuuka. She won't make her debut until the next school year. I have reasons for doing this. Until then, bye!


	11. Chocolate Cosmos

(-- --)

Chapter 11

Chocolate Cosmos

Minato felt like being lazy that Sunday afternoon. He didn't want to study, he didn't want to play video games, he didn't want to spend the afternoon in the city, and he didn't want to go to Tartarus that night. He lay on the couch in the lounge, a book over his face. He was just starting to drift off to sleep when a sweet, yet heavy smell reached his nose. He pulled off the book, and sat up.

Mitsuru, who was sitting in one of the chairs when Minato fell asleep, was now gone. Minato looked around and following the smell, he found the origin in the kitchen. He found Yukari, Fuuka, and Mitsuru working together to make chocolates. Yukari was the one carrying most of the work, and he knew why: Fuuka was a terrible cook, and Mitsuru probably has never made chocolates before in her life.

He didn't want to disturb them. He returned to the couch, and read his book again until he passed out.

(-- --)

-**February 4, 2007, Sunday**

**Takeba Residence**

**Daytime**

Yukari tentatively placed the chocolate in her mouth. She frowned and set the batch aside. She went back into the kitchen, pulling out more ingredients for a fresh batch. Mrs. Takeba was passing through when she saw her daughter making more chocolate from scratch.

Back when Mrs. Keiko Takeba was in high school, she was known to be a reputed beauty with her long brunette hair and amber eyes. She was a tall girl and was graceful due to ballet. Twenty years later, her hair was shorter and her eyes continued to sparkle in the same light. Her husband always joked that if Yukari never got his determination and spirit, no one would have believed that she was his daughter – that is how much Yukari resembled her mother.

"Another batch, Yukari?" Mrs. Takeba asked incredulously. "That is your fifth one today!"

"The last four weren't good enough."

Her mother walked over to the four batches on the dining table. She ate a piece from each one before turning to her daughter. "They taste just fine. The first one is not quite sweet. The second has an amazing texture. The third is very sweet and soft, and the fourth is very plain."

"Exactly." Her daughter replied. "They aren't good enough."

"With whatever high standards you have, you won't be able to make a batch that will be acceptable." Her mother replied. She grabbed her purse and her jacket. "I'll leave you to making your chocolates. I'm off to have lunch with Hotaru." She knew. She knew what was driving Yukari to make the "perfect" batch of chocolates. Maybe her daughter didn't know what her drive was yet, but she was bound to find out what it was going to be sooner or later.

Yukari looked up at her mother and said, "I won't waste any of them."

"Oh no, dear, I know. But if you run out of ingredients, you'll have to buy them on your own."

(-- --)

-**February 4, 2007, Sunday**

**Chagall Café**

**Afternoon**

"So is Yukari making chocolates for Valentine's Day this year?" Mrs. Arisato asked. They were having lunch and coffee at Chagall Café. They would have liked to eat at the restaurant at Port Island Station, but it was routinely filled with people on Saturdays and Sundays.

"Yes. Funny you should mention that." Mrs. Takeba replied. "Just as I was leaving, I found her making a fifth batch of chocolates. She said that none of them were good enough."

Mrs. Arisato took a sip of her coffee. As she laid it back on her saucer, she smirked. "Oh ho, that reminds me of someone who did that." She insinuated.

Mrs. Takeba blushed and angrily said, "D-don't refer to me, Hotaru!"

The other woman smiled innocently. Just like how Yukari was the image of her mother, Minako was the image of hers. Both Hotaru and Minako Arisato were shrewd, cunning, and showed their innocence when giving out hints. "Tee hee, whatever could you mean Keiko?" She asked with a smile. "I wasn't hinting at you…unless you want the person I spoke of to _be_ you."

"Don't be devious with me! You're talking about that one Valentine's Day from when we were in high school."

"But I haven't said a word about it!" Mrs. Takeba frowned at her friend. She was enjoying herself immensely.

In fact, Mrs. Arisato did know what her friend was talking about. About twenty-one years ago, when Mrs. Arisato was Hotaru Fujimi, and Mrs. Takeba was Keiko Sawamura, there was an incident that happened in their second year of high school. Hotaru was in the Science Club with Koji Arisato and Echiiro Takeba at the time. She never reprimanded them for their science pranks, but was always glad to amuse herself with watching. It would take several more years before Hotaru and Koji to get into a relationship.

In her second year of high school, Keiko Sawamura was failing physics. Her teacher got her a tutor: Echiiro Takeba. Kaori was the most popular girl in school, and she could have had any guy she wanted. From that first tutoring session, she was taken with though she did not know why. Maybe it was because he had a certain_ charm_. She never liked a "geeky" guy before. With Echiiro's help, her grades became better. Valentine's Day rolled around and to show her affection and enamor, she struggled to make the "perfect" batch of chocolates. Hotaru didn't know the full details of what happened with the chocolates, but on the day of love, Koji and Hotaru spied on the pair. Keiko presented Echiiro with chocolate and there was silence in conclusion. Needless to say, that kiss was what sealed their relationship for twenty-one years and counting.

"Though, it always made me wonder why you chose Echiiro instead any some other guy. Many of them wanted you." Mrs. Arisato replied.

"See? I knew you were referring to me!"

Mrs. Arisato chuckled. "Now, the way I see it, your story is moving down a generation." She replied.

"Oh, you've noticed it as well?"

"When someone likes another that much, everyone else can tell but those two in question."

"I wouldn't mind them together." Mrs. Takeba commented with a contented smile.

"Same here. Quite the couple they would make. They are only fourteen though. I shall give them several more years before a kiss will seal the deal." Mrs. Arisato added.

"A kiss, hm? When they are ready, we should fling them together. I'm sure their friends and Minako would be ready to help. We can lock them in a closet or push them out to sea in a boat."

(-- --)

-**February 4, 2007, Sunday**

**Takeba Residence**

**Afternoon**

Yukari stared dumbly at the kitchen counter. After the fifth batch of chocolates, she had realized she no longer had enough ingredients to continue anymore. Her mind was focused on cooking, but she didn't pay attention as to why she was working so hard. The distraction was gone, and her mind traveled to another subject.

Why did the chocolates have to be so perfect?

As long as Yukari could remember, she gave away homemade chocolates to her father, Minato, her male classmates, and her friends. More years passed on, and Yukari realized that there was a special meaning to Valentine's Day. She stopped giving away her chocolates to her male classmates. But whenever she made these chocolates, she didn't care how they turned out, just as long as it tasted delicious. It only took two batches to make her satisfied for the people she was giving. So why was it that she was bordering on making a sixth set?

His face flashed in her mind, and the blood rushed to her face. Her body grew unusually warmer, but this warmth was separate from what she felt from the house's heater. Yukari grabbed her head and shook it, trying to erase his face. The perfect chocolates were for _him_! No way! He's just a friend! Little did she know, somewhere deep, deep, deep down in her heart and mind was a voice that was asking her to stop being so deluded.

"Oh, forget it. I need to go to the store." She said to no one in particular. She grabbed her wallet and her jacket.

(-- --)

-**February 4, 2007, Sunday**

**Grocery Store**

**Afternoon**

Yukari shivered as she ran into the store. Some customers gave her a curious look. It was cold outside still, and she was more than happy to in a building with a heater. She picked up a basket and began hunting for her ingredients. She had just enough cocoa beans to last her one more batch. She had to make this one count. She grabbed a couple bags of sugar and several cans of condensed milk. As she made her way to get some mint, someone pushed past her, almost causing her to drop the basket.

The person's head turned around slightly and said, "Sorry." Yukari took a closer look. The person had navy blue hair the same length and cut as…

"Eh? Minato?"

The boy turned around completely, and Yukari started blushing once more.

"Huh? Yukari?"

They stared at each other, dumbfound. "What are you doing here?" They asked at the same time.

Minato held up his own basket. "My sister is making me do her grunt work by buying some components needed to make chocolate."

"Oh, funny. I was here buying some more ingredients as well. I kept messing up the chocolate." Well, she was only half-lying.

Minato suddenly looked confused. "Huh? You kept messing up? You rarely mess up when it comes to cooking."

Yukari laughed uneasily and said, "Yeah, well, it is just one of those days…"

The navy haired boy checked his watch and sighed. "I better go." He said. "You know how Minako is when she is left waiting."

He began walking away when Yukari called after him and said, "You spoil her too much!" He waved back at her as an acknowledgement. With a bounce in her step, Yukari paid for her items and ran all the way home. She had some chocolate to make.

(-- --)

-**February 14, 2008, Wednesday**

**Adachi Middle School, Class 8-C**

**Early Morning**

"Here is one for Junpei, and one for Minato…" Yukari muttered as she took out boxes filled with chocolate from her bag. With six batches of chocolate made, she had a lot to give out. Two batches were divided evenly between Yukari's friends. One batch was going to be given to Akihiko, Miki, and Shinjiro to share. Junpei got his own batch, as did her dad. Minato got the sixth batch of chocolate. The sixth one was the best out of all, and Yukari made it quite special as well.

"Wow, this is a lot of chocolate, Yuka-tan!" Junpei commented, looking at the box.

"I thought you messed up on your chocolates." Minato pointed humorously.

"I didn't mess up-_mess up_." She said huffily. "They just didn't turn out as well as I wanted them to." Okay, that one was the truth.

The door to the classroom opened abruptly and Taniguchi-sensei walked inside. All the students scrambled to take their seats as the teacher said crossly, "Enough with the commotion. I know it is Valentine's Day, but you girls can give out your chocolates during lunch!"

The lesson proceeded. Occasionally, Yukari would slightly turn around to look at Minato. The box never left his desk. At one point, she watched him open up the box. When he smiled, she smiled and turned around. The sixth batch of chocolate really was the best. It was special.

It was in the shape of a chocolate cosmos.

(-- --)

"Minato!" Yukari called, shaking the boy awake.

"Hrm?" Minato pulled the book from his face and saw Yukari standing over him with a plate of chocolates in her hand.

"Mitsuru-senpai, Fuuka, and I made some chocolates! Do you want one?" She asked.

He sat up and in a low voice, he asked, "Does it taste good?" She smirked and said that it did. It was the only batch that didn't taste terrible. He took one and put it all in his mouth. Yukari was right. It didn't taste bad. It was sweet and it melted just right in his mouth.

* * *

I felt a lot of inspiration for this chapter, which is why I was able to write it so quickly. This chapter is for Valentine's Day, even though Valentine's Day was two days ago. So...HAPPY BELATED VALENTINE'S DAY! Haha. More Minato x Yukari fluff, and if you know Japanese culture, White's Day is in March, so guess what is going to be next chapter! The title of this chapter is "Chocolate Cosmos". There is a flower by that name, and apparently, it has the faint smell of chocolate. That is all I have for now. Thanks for reading! And thank you in advance for reviewing (if you do)! 


	12. Pretty in Pink, Wonderful in White

(-- --)

Chapter 12

Pretty in Pink, Wonderful in White

There were times when Minato got sick of the same old routine. He got sick of going to Tartarus, hanging around Palownia Mall until midnight, or studying until he got tired. That is why he jumped at the opportunity to agree to go to a formal party held by the Kirijo group. Everyone was in the dorm was also invited by Mitsuru to go to the dinner.

Shinjiro passed on the offer. His gruff attitude and formal parties didn't mix. Koromaru wanted to go to the party (as translated by Aegis), but he was told he could not. It seemed as though he didn't mind too much afterwards – Shinjiro promised to cook him something to eat. Akihiko already agreed to go to the party as Mitsuru's escort and "date." When Junpei, Minato, and Yukari later asked him why he agreed to do such a thing, he hastily explained that he was doing Mitsuru a favor as a friend. This left them in smirks, each interpreting the same thing from his hasty excuse. Minato agreed to the party just so he could break off from his usual routine, and Junpei agreed soon after. He commented that there would be plenty of beautiful, dolled up girls to pick up. Aegis wanted to go so she could observe human idiosyncrasies at sophisticated parties, and this made Fuuka agree. She wanted to observe Aegis' behavior among the people. Ken wanted to go just so he could taste the finest foods made by the finest chefs in Japan. Yukari was hesitant in agreeing. With some gentle prodding from Minato, she yielded to the invitation.

On the night of the party, everyone was ready and dressed up. Junpei, Minato, Ken, and Akihiko were dressed up in suits and ties. They looked spic and span, and even Junpei ditched his baseball cap for the night. Everyone balked at Mitsuru when she came in the lounge wearing a very expensive black dress and pearls on her arms and neck. Akihiko couldn't believe he actually agreed to be her date for the night. Fuuka was very pretty in a light green dress with a necklace of assorted beads. Aegis was wearing a long sleeved, light blue dress. It covered her neck so it would hide its mechanical appearance. She also wore pantyhose, which made her lack of feet less noticeable when she wore slipper like shoes. Out of all the girls, Minato thought Yukari to be the most beautiful of all, though his opinion was quite biased since he was dating her and all. He expected her to wear a pink dress, but it was not. Yukari wore a white, strapless dress with a matching shawl loosely hanging from her arms. There was a new choker around her neck – it was silver wire netted together. In the center was a silver heart and in the heart was a diamond.

When blushes passed and the balking stopped, the boys offered their arms to the girls as an escort. Akihiko and Mitsuru paired up, as did Junpei and Fuuka. Minato offered both arms to Yukari and Aegis, escorting them both as Ken followed behind. Yukari pulled Minato a little closer to her. They were off to a party to enjoy themselves for the night.

(-- --)

-**March 7, 2007, Wednesday**

**Arisato Residence**

**Evening**

Minato sat alone at the dining table with a pad of paper and a pencil in front of him. St. White's Day was coming up next week, and he needed an idea for something special for Yukari. She made homemade chocolate in the shape of a chocolate cosmos for him last month for Valentine's Day. She had to receive something special in return. He was already making white chocolate for his mom and sister, albeit he was terrible when it came to baking sweets. It was the thought that counts anyway. Miki, Maiko, and Mitsuru gave him chocolate last month, so he also had to give them something as well.

_White chocolate and marshmallows_, he wrote down on the paper in front of him. Well, it was a start. He wrote down cookies and cakes underneath. Each one had a question mark after it. He thought hard. What could he do that was special? Minato was brought out of his unsuccessful train of thought when he jerked forward. Minako had sprung up behind him, pulling her older brother into a chokehold, though she did not have the strength to make it hurt.

"Whatcha doing?" she asked. She didn't wait for an answer. She looked at the paper and understood. "So, it's for St. White's Day, is it?"

"You're as nosy as ever." Minato commented.

"It's called being curious, dear brother." The girl countered, poking him in the cheek. "Are you trying to find something special to do for your _girlfriend_?"

"Yukari isn't my girlfriend."

"Yet." She said under her breath. Minato heard her nonetheless, ignoring the simple word.

"I have two more years until the bet will be decided—" he began, but his sister cut him off short.

"Wrong!" She yelled in his right ear. He recoiled, his right ear ringing in discomfort. "It will be one more year until your bet with Junpei is decided! The next school year is starting next month!"

"Ah, whatever!" He shook his sister off of him and went back to pondering over St. White's Day. The girl frowned and rolled her eyes. Why did her brother and Yukari have to wait one more year before they would get together? Their growing attraction for each other was so obvious they even their parents knew what was going on. Minako jumped over the back of the couch and landed on the soft cushions. She turned around, grabbing the TV controller and turned it on.

An hour passed, and Minato made no progress in his ideas. For the past years, Minato used to just buy his chocolate from the store and give them to the girls that gave him chocolate the previous month. For a couple of years, he tried making it, but he was hopeless when it came to baking. His concentration broke again when his father exited out of his study.

"Working on homework, Minato?" he asked, passing him into the kitchen. He began opening the pantries, searching for a snack.

"No, that's not it."

Minato watched his father open the refrigerator. "Oh, hey, your mother baked an apple pie!" He exclaimed.

Koji Arisato was certainly a peculiar man in the eyes of his son. He was normally serious and stern with his students, and with his own kids when it came to succeeding. Then there was the other side of him that was just fun and silly. He was a practical joker with a touch of science added. Sometimes instead of reprimanding his kids for something they did, he would he would slightly encourage them with comments. He left the disciplining to his wife. Most of all, Koji Arisato had a weakness when it came to sweets, particularly cheesecakes.

Minako faced away from the TV and said, "Daddy, I don't think mom would want you to eat the pie!"

"I'm sure she won't mind if I take a small slice…" He said.

"You know, in America, March 14 is also known as Pi Day." Minato commented.

"Pie Day? You mean America has a holiday that celebrates pie?" Minako asked. "That's so cool!"

Mr. Arisato laughed. "Oh, no, Minako. Not pie as in the dessert. Pi as in the mathematical constant. If you divide twenty-two by seven you get a decimal: 3.142857142…"

Minako's face fell. She began tossing around saying, "No, no, no, no! I got him started on lecturing!"

"There are actually computers that are still calculating pi, but since it is an irrational number it will always be repeating and it will never end. The estimate of pi is 3.14 that is why according to the American date format, Pi Day is celebrated on March 14. Also, did you know that Albert Einstein's birthday is on March 14?"

"Daddy! Stop! I don't understand!" Minako yelled.

"If you don't understand, would you like me to use smaller words so you can understand?" He asked eagerly. Oh, this was the mark of a teacher who loved teaching.

"Dad, you can stop now. Minako will understand once she gets older." Minato pleaded.

His father picked up his plate of apple pie and shrugged. "Then when she is starting to learn about finding the area and circumference of circles, I'll teach her everything there is to know about pi, just like the way I taught you."

"I'll be dreading that moment." Minako remarked callously.

Mr. Arisato walked past his son and stopped. He walked back to him and looked at the pad of paper in front of him. "So, you're working on something for St. White's Day, hm?"

"Yes, sir."

"You want to know what I gave your mother for St. White's Day when we were going out?" His father asked.

Minato ran his hand through his hair, gently tugging it. "An engagement ring?" he asked exasperatedly.

"Don't be stupid. We were twenty-one at the time. We didn't get married until we were twenty-three."

"Then you had Minato!" Minako chimed in, kneeling on the cushions of the couch and watching her father and brother.

"Yeah!"

Minato tugged at his hair a little harder now. They were getting off topic again, and maybe what his father gave his wife could help him be inspired. "So what did you get mom for your first St. White's Day together?"

"I got her a white dress for St. White's Day. After all, the man is supposed to repay what was given to him two or three times over." Mr. Arisato answered.

"Was it a premature wedding dress for her or something?" Minato blurted out. His father grabbed him by his cheeks and pulled them.

"Are you trying to piss me off? I'm trying to help you here."

Minako chimed in again saying, "You should give Yukari a white ribbon!!"

"Why?" Minato asked, his face continued being stretched. It was painful. He tried pulling his dad's hands off, but he was strong and wouldn't let go until he gurgled out an apology.

"Because there is an old legend that if a boy gives a girl a white ribbon and ties it for her, they'll fall in love." The girl explained.

Rubbing his sore cheeks now, Minato replied to the explanation with, "That's a load of junk. I've got to tell Junpei to stop lending you his manga. It's a bad influence."

"But it's true!"

"According to what?"

The girl frowned and in a low voice, she muttered, "D.N.Angel." Her brother laughed. "But it could become a legend for future generations! You'll just have to start it!"

"I'm going to go enjoy my apple pie now. Don't tell your mother I was the one who took the first slice." He answered. "I'm off to grade exams. Minato, think about the white dress."

"Yukari wears pink, not white!"

Mr. Arisato smiled. "She may be pretty in pink, but a girl always looks wonderful in white. Keep that in mind. Yukari wore white when we all went to your Aunt Sayomi's second wedding."

(Aunt Sayomi is the sister of Minato's father. For future purposes, I have chosen not to reveal too much about her for now. She bears more or less importance for a certain chapter later in the story, and that chapter is one of my favorite so I don't want to give away too much.)

He retreated back into his study, shutting the door behind him. Minato stared down at his paper of suggestions. Picking up the pencil, he wrote _white dress_ with a question mark. He looked over at Minako who went back to watching TV. She fanned herself lightly.

"Ho boy, it's getting a little hot in here."

"Then open a window."

"But then it will get cold. March is the month when everything starts getting cooler. Maybe when it gets hotter out, we can go on a camping trip!" Minako said happily. That did sound nice to Minato, as random as the conversation began. "We can sing songs, make s'mores, go hiking and take in nature…"

Oh, hey, s'mores. Those sound like a good idea…

(-- --)

-**March 14, 2007, Wednesday**

**Adachi Middle School, Class 8-C**

**Early Morning**

"Morning." Minato greeted when he reached his desk. Yukari and Junpei were already there, talking.

"Happy St. White's Day!" They both said.

"You, too."

Yukari eyed the big bag that Minato had along with his schoolbag. "You've been busy with today, haven't you?" She looked slightly apprehensive when she stared at the big bag.

"Yeah. I walked Minako to school today just so I could also give Maiko and Miki some white chocolate." Minato replied.

"Did you make it yourself this year?" Junpei asked. "Not me. I bought mine. I can't bake for crap."

The navy haired boy sighed and said, "I tried making my own with instruction from my mom, but I still failed so I had to buy it." He reached into the bag with both hands and took out two boxes. The larger one was on the bottom and a slightly smaller box was on top. They were both held together with a white ribbon. "Speaking of which…Happy St. White's Day, Yukari." He handed the girl the box.

"Oh, for me?" She took it and laid it on her desk. She gently tugged at the white ribbon, unraveling the bow and the bond holding the boxes together. As she undid the wrapping, Junpei raised his eyebrow and smirked at Minato.

"Well, the chocolate you gave me this year was in the form of a chocolate cosmos, which was cool and all, so I thought you deserve something special as well." Minato replied abashed.

The wrapping of the first box was undone and the girl opened it. She let out a small laugh at what she saw. In it were a great deal of s'mores. In between two pieces of the graham cracker was the melted marshmallow and instead of a slab of regular milk chocolate, it was white chocolate. On the top of each s'more was white icing in the shape of a letter. It spelled out, "Happy St. White's Day, Yukari. Love, Minato."

Junpei looked at Minato again and mouthed, "Love? That's pretty presumptuous of you." Minato shrugged.

Yukari began undoing the wrapping on the second box after setting the one with the s'mores aside. When it was off, she opened the box and took out a white dress. It wasn't anything so fancy. It was a plain white, summer dress.

"I…I know you would much rather prefer something pink, but I thought that white would be a nice change." Minato said.

Yukari folded up the dress and neatly laid it back inside the box. She tied both boxes together with the white ribbon and set it next to her schoolbag. She smiled at Minato and said her thanks. The teacher slammed open the door at the point, yelling at everyone to settle down.

"I know today is St. White's Day, but let's just get through class today, understand?" Taniguchi-sensei asked as she traveled to her podium. She began reading announcements and new things going on at school. When Minato looked over at Junpei, he was writing in his notebook, which was unlike him. When did he ever write down what was going on at school?

"Psst! Minato!" Junpei hissed. Minato looked at him and his friend held up the notebook. Minato squinted, trying to read Junpei's messy handwriting.

In his own notebook, he wrote, "I can't read your writing." He showed it to the other boy. Junpei let out a small sigh and threw the notebook at Minato. It hit his arm and landed on the ground with a loud fumble of papers.

"Oh, you dropped your notebook, Minato." Junpei said out loud when all his classmates turned to look at them. Taniguchi-sensei cleared her throat and continued reading the announcements. The navy haired boy glared at Junpei's silent laughing and mouthed, "You're a dick, Junpei."

Picking up Junpei's notebook, he read the note intended for him. "Bad idea giving Yuka-tan a white dress. You know she likes pink best." That's what it said after he could decipher Junpei's handwriting. Minato wrote down on the same notebook, "Your handwriting still sucks." He threw it back to Junpei and leaned back in his chair.

Was this St. White's Day special enough?

(-- --)

-**April 1, 2007, Sunday**

**Port Island Station**

**Afternoon**

"Jeez, where is Yukari?" Akihiko asked. He glanced down at his watch. "We're going to be late for the movie if she doesn't get here soon."

"Wow, student tickets are 1500 yen?" Mitsuru asked, not paying attention to anyone else.

"That shouldn't be a problem for you." Shinjiro said coolly.

Minato snapped his phone shut. "Yukari isn't answering her phone." He said. "If she doesn't come in five minutes then we should just go in without her."

It was the end of the semester, the weather was warm, and the new school year wasn't going to start until the fifth of April. Akihiko, Shinjiro, and Mitsuru were accepted into Gekkoukan to no one's surprise. Yukari, Junpei, and Minato passed their March finals. Even Junpei was surprised he got a decent grade, though he owed it to Minato for tutoring him. As celebration for moving onto the next grade, everyone was headed for the movies on Port Island Station. Minako and Miki could have joined them if they did not have cram school and then singing lessons afterwards.

"What the hell is wrong with you guys, leaving ten missed calls on my cell phone?!" Yukari yelled as she ran down the steps from the station. Minato looked at her and gawked. Yukari was wearing the white dress he gave her on St. White's Day. It fit her perfectly. She even had a white ribbon tied into a bow around her neck and her wrists. She had matching white, slipper-like shoes.

Mitsuru looked at Yukari's outfit and said, "Well, now, this change of clothes is different. You look pretty in that dress."

"Thanks! Minato gave it to me for St. White's Day!" Yukari replied, completely forgetting about the missed calls. She smiled at him, not noticing the blush on his face.

"And the ribbons?" Minato asked.

"I used the big ribbon you used to hold the two boxes together." She did a twirl and asked, "Do you like it?"

Minato grinned. "You look wonderful in white."

(-- --)

Minato was jerked awake by the arm. He sat up and blinked his eyes so they would focus. They had taken a limo to the party. There, they ate, danced, and laugh, though most of the laughing came from the fact that none of the boys knew how to dance a waltz. The party continues until late in the night. With sore feet and tired bodies, they climbed back into the limo and headed for the dorm. Minato must have fallen asleep without realizing it.

"You must have had a lot of fun tonight, Minato," Yukari laughed, "especially if you fell asleep." He grumbled a little.

"We're back." Mitsuru added.

"Oh, I can't wait to take off my shoes." Fuuka commented as they all got out of the limo. "My feet are so sore."

"That's because Junpei kept stepping on your toes." Akihiko pointed out.

Mitsuru yawned behind her hand and dropped a comment with, "You're no better Akihiko." The boxer recoiled slightly as if he had been struck with something blunt.

"Tonight was an interesting experience." Aegis said as she and the others went through the door.

"And the food was delicious!" Ken added.

Minato and Yukari were the last ones to get out of the limo. Just as they approached the door, Minato held her back. He swooped down and planted a swift but small kiss on her lips.

"Mm, Minato, what if someone sees?" She asked when they pulled apart slightly.

"Then let them see." He murmured. "You really, really look wonderful tonight."

* * *

Happy Pi Day and St. White's Day!! Oh, and happy birthday Einstein! Tee hee! This chapter took me a little while to think of what to write about, but I finished it before March 14. Since I've featured Mrs. Arisato in the past couple of chapters, I wondered when I was going to get the chance to feature his dad so he was included in this. Explaining Pi Day and all of that made a nice touch as I was writing. The part where Minako started talking about the camping and such was random, but I had to have a way to incorporate the s'mores. Honestly, after writing this, I wish I could have some, but I'm lacking cash to buy what is necessary. 

And I've been debating whether to put in Aegis in Minato's dream world or not. I was thinking not because I just don't like her (-ducks-) and that she is a Anti-Shadow Humanoid machine, and there aren't any shadows in Minato's dream world/alternate reality/universe, so therefore, she isn't necessary. I've come to the conclusion to feature Aegis in here, but she won't be an important character like Mitsuru or Fuuka. She will only make a brief appearance. Maybe one or two chapters with her. This way, I write less about a character I don't like, but I appease those fan girls and fan boys who do like her. Oh, you'll see what I mean by a brief appearance. Anyway, next chapter is Fuuka (finally) and she'll become a permanent part of this circle of friends and such. I thank you in advance for reading and reviewing my story thus so far, and continuing to read it in the future.

PS. Someone asked about some Akihiko x Mitsuru? I'll be adding fluff between them as time goes on, but I may not make it so serious as Minato x Yukari and another pairing that shouldn't be too hard to figure out.


	13. Hell's Kitchen

(-- --)

Chapter 13

Hell's Kitchen

Minato lay down on the stone bench. He was on the roof of Gekkoukan High during lunchtime. It was peaceful and abandoned, but beyond the gates of the school, Apathy Syndrome and Shadows roamed about. He had been thinking about his dream world that afternoon. It should be the start of the new school year now. Closing his eyes, he desperately wanted to pass out, and take a look on how everyone was doing at this time.

(-- --)

-**April 5, 2007, Thursday**

**Adachi Middle School, Main Hall**

**Early Morning**

The school was bustling this morning as Minato arrived through the doors. Everyone was crowded near the bulletin boards, and he knew why. It was the start of the new school year and everyone was wondering what class they were in. He could hear girls exclaiming or complaining about being in the same class as their friends.

Making his way through the crowd of people to the bulletin board, he searched for his name. After doing a quick scan, he didn't find his name. His eyes ran through the list of names again, finally spotting it. He was in Class 9-C. Minato couldn't believe he was a third year in junior high already. It was just yesterday that he was a second year. He had heard that in America, the school year was different and a lot shorter. Students there must have a lot more time to think about advancing to the next grade.

He walked up the stairs to the third floor where the classrooms for the ninth graders were located. He was built enough not to be out of breath when he reached the top, but it would get to be a little tiring to be walking up and down these stairs six days a week. He found his classroom and slid open the door, only to be greeted with a girl of slim physique throwing herself into his arms.

"We're in the same class again!" Yukari yelled happily, taking her friend by the hand and pulling him inside. "Junpei is with us, too!"

"S'up dude?" Junpei asked, nodding his head towards Minato. "No surprise we are in the same class again."

"And why is that?" Minato asked.

"The administration always groups together the same kids in each class as the years go by," Junpei explained. "I think it is based on the same level of competence that kids are always in the same class."

Yukari raised her eyebrow. "Then explain to me how you have the same level of competence to be in a class with me and Minato."

Minato laughed and said, "I never knew Junpei could use a big word like 'competence'."

The other boy sighed. "Man, why do you guys always have to be harshing the 'tards?"

The classroom door opened and closed. A girl that Minato did not recognize had stepped inside. She looked like she had a frail constitution or she was merely timid. She had sea green hair and light green eyes. She looked around the room and found her seat. She sat down, feeling out of place.

"New meat," Junpei commented staring at the new girl. "She's kind of cute, too."

Yukari rolled her eyes and said, "Get over yourself, Junpei. She won't look twice at you."

"Jeez, that's cruel."

"A lot of new kids are transferring lately." Minato commented.

"The city is becoming more popular, and it's growing," Yukari answered, "I wonder if it is by Kirijo's influence."

Junpei yawned, leaning back in his chair. "Almost everything in this city can be directed by Kirijo's influence," He pointed out.

The classroom door opened again with a slam. Students rushed to their seats as class 9-C's homeroom teacher came inside. It was a male teacher this year. He was young and Minato was sure the girls in his class were going to be attracted to him.

"Good morning class. I am Rikuto Jun, Rikuto-sensei to you. I will be your homeroom teacher and English teacher this year," Rikuto-sensei replied. Sure enough, Minato could hear some girls exclaiming how cute their teacher was. He leaned back in his seat like Junpei. This was the start of a new school year.

(-- --)

-**April 5, 2007, Thursday**

**Adachi Middle School, Home Economics Room 3**

**Before Lunch**

Home Economics was a new class that only the ninth years took. It was optional in high school. Yukari was very excited for this class. She loved cooking, and Minato thought her food was delicious. Junpei was sullen as he followed his friend to the classroom. He was a terrible cook, and like his orphaned friends, he lived off of instant ramen and frozen food. Once in a while, his mom would have free time at home to make him dinner. The only other time Junpei ever got something homemade was when he ate dinner at Minato's house. Minato was an average cook himself, but his seven-year-old sister surpassed him in this field. Their teacher for this class was a Mrs. Akemi Takeuchi. She was a sweet old lady, and she often reminded Minato of his grandmother on his mother's side of the family.

"Today, class, we shall be making New England Clam Chowder," Takeuchi-sensei replied, "I shall grade you on effort and how well it tastes." The teacher began diving everyone into groups of four. Minato was not very surprised when he was put together with Yukari and Junpei. The fourth person of the group was the new girl they had seen this morning.

"Um…My name is Fuuka Yamagishi," The girl replied with a short bow to her new classmates. "Pleased to meet you."

Yukari smiled and greeted with, "Nice to meet you! I'm Yukari Takeba." She pointed to Minato and Junpei and said, "And this is Minato Arisato and Junpei Iori."

Takeuchi-sensei came by their group and handed them the recipe sheet for the New England clam chowder. "Everything you need is in front of you. Now get to work." Minato looked over the ingredients on the sheet and on the table in front of them. It was all there.

"Uh, I'm not very good at cooking," Fuuka commented as she stared the recipe.

"That makes two of us, Fuuka!" Junpei replied. With a cheery grin, he saluted Minato and Yukari. "Our grade is running on your efforts, guys!"

"You're unbelievable!" Yukari exclaimed, almost hitting the boy with the ladle. She would have gotten him, too, if Minato didn't pry the silver spoon out of her hands.

"We don't have time for this. We can't cook this if only Yukari and I are working," Minato pointed out, irritation on the rise.

Leaning a little closer to Minato, Yukari whispered in his ear, "Hey, what should we have Junpei do? I don't really trust him with a flame or a knife." The boy ran his hand through his navy hair again and took a deep sigh.

Minato moved a cutting board and a knife over and set an onion on the board. "Junpei, cut the top and bottom of this onion off. Slice it in half and dice it." Then he handed a peeler to Fuuka and Yukari, setting six potatoes on the counter in front of them. "You guys can peel these." Minato got out another cutting board and knife and began chopping up bacon.

As the boy had begun to cook the small pieces of bacon in a pan on the stove, he began hearing Junpei make small sniffles. He turned to see his friend's eyes tearing up. The onions were not even halfway done. Junpei noticed Minato's amused smirk and raised eyebrow and said, "S-shut up, Minato! I can't help it!"

"I didn't say anything."

"So, Fuuka! Where did you transfer from?" Yukari asked.

Fuuka, who was peeling the potatoes rather slowly, said, "Huh? Oh, well, I transferred from Saitou Middle School." Saitou Middle School was a well off school, but of course, it didn't even come close to a school like Konata or Gekkoukan. "My family and I moved so my parents could be closer to work. (They both are doctors, and they work at Tatsumi Memorial Hospital.) This school is closer so I was transferred here."

Minato had now added Junpei's diced onions to the pan. They weren't of the best quality, but Minato couldn't judge him. It was the best he could do. He sent his friend to open up two cans of baby clams and separate the clams from the juice. Yukari took Minato's place, cooking the bacon and onions in the pan. Minato went to help Fuuka with cutting up the potatoes. He could tell she was trying her best not to mess up, but she was taking her time with "exact" strokes. The potatoes were added and Yukari and Minato regularly switched places, stirring their soup occasionally.

"You guys are so good at cooking…" Fuuka said absently, staring at Yukari and Minato's work.

"My mom taught me since I was a kid," Yukari replied.

"I had to learn how to cook. There are times when my parents work late, so I have to feed my sister and myself," Minato added.

Yukari cocked her head to the side a little. "Did your mom ever teach you how to cook?"

The new girl sighed. "Since I remember, she has been too busy to teach me. The same goes with my dad."

"Hey, Fuuka! If you want to learn how to cook, why don't you learn from Minato's mom?" Junpei asked excitedly.

"Huh?"

"Hey, that's not a bad idea," Yukari replied with a smile. ("You could use a lesson or two from her, yourself, Junpei," Minato muttered under his breath.) "Minato's mom is a real good cook, and she loves it, too!"

"But…" The girl squirmed slightly. "Wouldn't I just be a burden to ask your mom for lessons?"

"It's fine," said Minato. "My mom enjoys acting like a surrogate mother to all of my friends."

"Hm…"

It was time for the next step. Minato let Fuuka do this, while watching her under close supervision. All of the clams, two cans of celery soup, heavy cream, milk, and a green herb called dill weed was added. With instruction from Yukari, Fuuka began stirring the soup together. Butter was added as the new girl continued stirring.

"That's it!" Takeuchi-sensei yelled out. The ovens were turned off and the teacher began tasting each group's clam chowder.

"I hope ours tastes good," Fuuka replied quietly, "This is our lunch as well!"

"My grade will be riding on your efforts, guys!" Junpei exclaimed again, slapping Minato and Yukari on the back.

Yukari shot him a dirty look and grabbed the ladle. She attempted to smack him with it again, but Minato hastily snatched it away. Takeuchi-sensei was nearing their pot of soup now. He handed it to her and said, "Here you go!" Takeuchi-sensei dipped the ladle in the soup and tasted it.

"This is very good. My only problem is that the potatoes need to be chopped a little smaller and the soup needs to thicken a little more," she said. "Your group gets a standard A." The group grinned at each other and nodded with satisfaction. "You may eat your soup now for the rest of class." The four of them helped themselves and began eating. They agreed that it was good, but their teacher was right that the potatoes were too big and was a little watery. They continued on eating, conversation carrying on longer and longer.

That was how Fuuka Yamagishi became part of Minato's group of friends.

(-- --)

-**April 18, 2007, Wednesday**

**Adachi Middle School, Class 9-C**

**Lunchtime**

It was rare that Minato and Junpei were ever seen eating lunch inside their classroom. They always brought money to buy food in the cafeteria, but today was a little different. Minato's wallet was sucked dry last Sunday when Minako forced her brother to keep giving her money until she got the Jack Frost Doll she wanted from Game Panic's crane game. Junpei's allowance ran out when he lost a fighting game to Shinjiro and was forced to treat everyone at the Wakatsu Restaurant.

But as they compared their lunches that afternoon, Junpei was stunned to see his best friend with a delicious obento lunch. He only had a chocolate cornet and milk. The only reason why he was able to get such a cheap lunch was because he constantly begged Yukari to donate to the "Feed Junpei Iori Foundation".

"Hey, you don't have any cash. How come you have a better lunch than I do?" Junpei asked, biting into the head of his chocolate cornet.

Minato chuckled and said, "Minako was the one who made my lunch."

"What a doting little sister you have," the other boy commented.

Minato snorted. "Nah. She made a huge fuss when I imposed my own death penalty on her for wasting my allowance and hers for that doll."

"So that's how it goes, huh?"

"Mi-na-to!" a voice sang softly. The boy looked up to see Yukari next to him. He raised his eyebrow at her. He knew that tone in her voice. Whenever she sang his name, emphasizing each syllable, it could only mean one thing…

"Can I borrow your math homework?" she asked sweetly.

"Borrow or **copy**?" Minato asked.

Junpei laughed and said, "Dude, in our world, they both mean the same thing."

"Pleeeeeease?" The girl begged. "I really hate getting scolded for not doing my work."

"Then actually do it."

"I would, but then I get distracted with the shows on TV!" Minato ran his hands through his hair in frustration. Was this the only way she saw him? Her source for unfinished homework? His look towards Yukari hardened into a dangerous glare.

"Don't give me that look, Minato," answered Yukari. The sweet tone in her voice disappeared and was replaced with a cool warning.

Not wanting to see his favorite couple in discord, Junpei withdrew his notebook and handed it to Yukari. "Here, copy my homework."

Yukari raised her eyebrow and crossed her arms. "You mean you homework, which is probably filled with tons of mistakes?"

"Hey! I know my homework is totally correct this time! I copied it from Kaz," Junpei coughed lightly and added, "who got it from Kenji, and he got it from—"

"—me," Minato finished in a deadpan voice.

The girl's mouth fell open. She grabbed fistfuls of Minato's jacket and began shaking him back and forth. "You jerk! You give your stupid friends your homework, but you don't give it to me? You're such a stingy asshole! What does that make me?! ("You're his future girlfriend," Junpei commented quietly.) I've known you longer than anyone else here!"

"Gah! You're so annoying when you beg me for my homework!" Minato shot back angrily. Everyone in the class had now turned their attention to Minato and Yukari's argument. "You're like my sister! Everything comes out of my pocket! Money and grunt work for her, homework for you!"

"Don't compare me to your sister!"

"Well, this is a rare instance of Minato and Yukari arguing. I've known them both since middle school, and they rarely fight," a boy whispered.

"Yeah, and when they do, they fight like an old married couple," replied the boy's girlfriend.

"Man, it sucks that Yukari is already with Minato," said another classmate.

"What are you talking about? Yukari and Minato aren't dating."

"Eh! For real? You would think that they are though!"

"I know!"

Junpei sighed. _Jeez. Even everyone in the school thinks they belong together. Both are so slow in getting together,_ he thought.

Fuuka entered the classroom, immediately hearing the heated exchange of words between two of her new friends. With the container held in her hands, she immediately stepped between them, saying hastily, "No fighting! No fighting! How about we all just make up by eating some of this curry I made!"

Both shut their mouths, but they continued to glare at each other as they sat on opposite sides of the desk. Fuuka pulled a chair over and sat down. She opened up the container and revealed the curry she had made. Junpei, Yukari, and Minato looked at it warily. It looked runny and it gave off a funny smell. It looked completely unappetizing.

"You know, I've heard that if curry is left out overnight, it will taste better!" Fuuka said happily. "So who wants to take the first bite?"

"Minato! Why don't you do us the honor?" Junpei asked with a grin.

"Oh no, that wouldn't be fair. I'd just be selfish and hogging all of the food. Why don't you and Yukari try it with me at the same time?" Minato replied with his own grin.

Mustering up all of the courage they had, the three took a small bite of Fuuka's curry, and immediately regretted their action. The food was spoiled and tasted absolutely atrocious. Fuuka continued smiling innocently, waiting for their jurisdiction. Poor girl…how were they supposed to tell her the truth without breaking her heart?

Yukari was the first to take a napkin and spit out the spoiled curry. "Fuuka, you shouldn't leave out food overnight. It'll spoil quickly. Just like this curry," she said gently. Minato and Junpei also spit out the food into a napkin. There were hints of green on their cheeks and forehead.

"You're right…" Fuuka said quietly. She gave a heavy sigh and said, "I know Mrs. Arisato taught me how to make a simple curry, and yet, I screwed it up again."

Yukari patted the girl on the shoulder and said, "Don't worry about it! Just keep practicing and you'll make one edible!" Minato wanted to hide under the desk from Yukari's choice of words. As if their previous row was completely forgotten, he stepped on Yukari's foot under the desk. She almost let out a laugh but quickly corrected herself with, "I mean, delicious!"

"I hope you're right…"

(-- --)

-**April 21, 2007, Saturday**

**Adachi Middle School, Class 9-C**

**Lunchtime**

"Minato, Junpei, will you try my curry again?" Fuuka asked. She clutched the plastic container in her hands. Both boys gave each other a quick warning glare before giving a hesitant nod. "Thank you!" She sat down at their desk and opened the container. The curry looked unappetizing again, but it looked somehow better than last time. Feeling brave, Minato reached over and took a bite. He slowly chewed it and swallowed, shuddering from its repulsive taste.

"Now, give me your most honest opinion, okay?"

"Fuuka…what did you put in the curry?" he asked.

"Well, I wanted to spice it up a bit so I added some chili, red peppers…" listed Fuuka.

_It sounds normal so far_, Junpei thought. _But if it was, Minato wouldn't have made that face._

"And then I added some yogurt, chocolate, and oh! I added a little of this coffee milk, some cornstarch, flour, and a lot of seafood!" the girl added.

_I was wrong! That is recipe for disaster!_ Junpei thought furiously.

"It tastes horrible, Fuuka," Minato said honestly.

"I see… Thank you for being honest."

"Fuuka, how come you are so set on cooking?" asked Junpei.

The girl smiled softly and squirmed slightly in her chair. "I want to cook something for Minato, Junpei, Yukari, and the rest of your friends."

"They're your friends now, too, Fuuka," Minato replied.

Just about after that first cooking class of the school year, Fuuka was introduced to Akihiko, Mitsuru, Shinji, and Miki on their usual walk home together. Fuuka was stunned to become acquainted with the famous daughter of Takeharu Kirijo. She soon got over it when she saw Mitsuru in her most vulnerable state: when she was at the arcade, movie theater, or fast food restaurants. She soon realized she would be contributing to the bad influence that held the red headed beauty. Fuuka was slightly intimidated by Akihiko's cool demeanor, but not really towards Shinjiro. They had a common interest in cooking, but the only difference was that Shinjiro could cook while she couldn't.

"Um… It's just that…I really want to thank everyone for welcoming me." Fuuka took her spoon and began playing around with her failed dish. She sighed again and said, "You know, I've never really had any good friends before. When I did have friends, they all ended up hurting me. So, I always spent time on my computer instead."

Minato grinned and said, "I promise you, Fuuka. I can speak for the rest of us, too. We will never hurt you."

"Yeah, that's right," agreed Junpei.

The girl smiled at her brightest and exclaimed, "Yes, that's exactly why I want to thank you all!"

"You don't need to thank us," replied Yukari, joining the three. "You're friendship is enough for all of us."

"Really?!"

Yukari laughed and said, "Yeah, silly!"

"Thank you!" said Fuuka.

"Enough of that now," Minato ordered.

Yukari slid into a nearby chair and said, "So, you guys, I was thinking that we should hit Game Panic today after school."

"Sure, if you are willing to pay for me and Minato," replied Junpei.

"What? Hell no!"

"Oh, come on! We were cheated out of our monthly allowance!"

Fuuka smiled at her new friends. She was happy now. Very, very happy, and she wouldn't have it any other way!

(-- --)

The sun beat down on Minato's face as he lay on the roof of the school. He opened his eyes. He had a nice dream – or rather, he was able to partake in nice development in the other world he was apart of. The door to the rooftop opened and Fuuka appeared.

"Ah, I thought I'd find you here," she said.

"What's up, Fuuka?" Minato sat up, his back sore from the stone bench he was lying on.

"Well, I have one more rice ball left, and I was wondering if you want it."

"Yeah, sure, I'll take it." He took the rice ball that was offered to him and bit into it. It was edible and delicious. Minato smiled and said, "Thanks, Fuuka."

* * *

I am so so so so so so sorry for my lack of updates. It's summertime. I should be able to update a lot more frequently. In any case, I am finally out of my writer's funk and able to get pass my writer's block. Also, I would like to comment on the sudden increase of reviews for this story. Thank you so much for them! I was so happy to find about thirteen review alerts in my inbox when I opened my email.

I've also been following Persona 4 closely ever since it was released. I've watched a whole bunch of videos and have a vague idea of what is going on. But I did get a translation on one part where Yukiko and Chie cook curry for Yousuke and the protagonist and they put all of this stuff in there. What they put in is exactly what Fuuka put in hers in this chapter. I thought it would be funny to add in a reference from Persona 4 since it is quite awesome. Wouldn't you agree?

Now that I done with Fuuka's introductory chapter, I can move onto the next one. I must say, the next chapter is one of my absolute favorites since it involves more bad influence over Mitsuru. How exciting! Tune in for more soon! I'll try my best to update faster!


	14. La Vie En Rose

(-- --)

Chapter 14

La Vie En Rose

-**May 6, 2007, Sunday**

**Kirijo Mansion**

**Nighttime**

"Arisato, Minato."

"Takeba, Yukari."

"Iori, Junpei."

"Sanada, Akihiko."

"Aragaki, Shinjiro."

"Yamagishi, Fuuka."

The man dressed in black check of all of the names on his clipboard before opening the double wooden doors for the group. "Please go on ahead and enjoy the party."

The group of six complied, walking through the door way into the large ballroom of the Kirijo Mansion. The chandelier up above twinkled brightly. There were many tables set up with matching cloths of ruby red and black. A portion was reserved for the band playing and an open dance floor. In one corner of the room several tables were used to store the many presents for Mitsuru.

"Wow…" said Yukari. "I had imagined the Kirijo mansion to be pretty grand, but not like this."

"What do ya expect from the richest people in Port Island City?" asked Junpei. "Oh, I'm sorry. Did I say Port Island City? I meant Japan."

"I doubt the Kirijo family is the richest family in Japan," pointed out Akihiko. "They aren't exactly "new money," but they aren't like old families like Nanjou."

"Who _cares_?!" Shinjiro asked. "Let's just say hi to Mitsuru and get the hell out of here. This tie is killing me."

Fuuka sighed. "It's Mitsuru's birthday party. We can't just make a small appearance and then leave! It's rude! We're her friends! We have to stick around for a while."

"Looking forward to it," snapped Shinjiro. "Should I slice my wrists now or later?"

"What's wrong with you?" asked Junpei. "Is it that time of the month or something?"

Shinjiro sized up, staring down Junpei. "What did you just say to me?"

The boy quickly hid behind Minato and said, "Nothing. Nothing at all."

"Okay, okay. Calm down everyone. Let's not start a fight here," cut in Yukari. The group grabbed some food and sat down at a table nearest to the door.

"Hmph. I sure want to fight someone right now. Especially with one of these jokers," said Shinjiro. He gestured to all of the surrounding male guests. "With this many guys here, it can only mean one thing."

"A sausage fest?" joked Junpei.

Akihiko and Shinjiro ignored him and both answered, "Marriage prospects for Mitsuru."

"Everything for the future of the company," said Minato.

"Indeed."

"Announcing Mitsuru Kirijo and her father Takeharu Kirijo!!" called a voice. The music ceased and all heads turned to the staircase where Mitsuru was being escorted by her father. It wasn't just the fact that Mitsuru was worth billions and was the heir to a huge corporation that everyone was staring at her, but that she looked absolutely breathtaking. It may have been the lighting of the room, but the aura around her seemed to sparkle more so than usual.

"Wow…" said Akihiko. "She looks gorgeous…" He stared at her with wide eyes as if he was just seeing her for the very first time.

"Love at first sight?" murmured Yukari to Minato.

"More like love at first realization," he replied. He looked closer at Akihiko and then said, "Only he doesn't actually realize it."

Shinjiro let out a low laugh and said, "Welcome to the dense world of Sanada Akihiko."

"Well, he has to realize it sometime, right?" asked Fuuka.

"Haha, not at this moment."

"First there is the realization. Then the…_other_ realization…" Minato replied. He gestured to all of the male guests in the room.

Shinjiro shook his head and said, "Poor bastard won't have a chance at all."

Akihiko watched as Mitsuru began engaging herself in conversation with a group of guys. He sighed and turned his attention back to his plate of food. He didn't eat it but poke it with his fork.

"Give it up, Aki," said Shinjiro.

"Hm? Give what up?"

"…Nevermind."

From across the room, Mitsuru let out an inaudible sigh. She only smiled and said very little as the men around talked to her. Before she was able to tolerate discussions about the family business and money at parties. Now all she really wanted to talk about was baseball, ramen, karaoke, and the fun arcade games at Game Panic. But those weren't appropriate topics that an heiress should be talking about. She shifted her weight and suddenly spotted six familiar figures in a table in the back. Her plastered smile became genuine.

"So I thought that the investing in--"

"Please, excuse me for a minute," interrupted Mitsuru, "I think I just saw some friends of mine." The birthday girl rushed over to the table in the back and wrapped her arms around the first person she reached. "Oh, I'm so happy you guys came tonight!"

Akihiko's body tensed up from her sudden touch but said, "H-hey, Mitsuru."

"Nice party!" lied Junpei.

"Oh yeah, real exciting," added Yukari.

"And great turnout," said Fuuka.

"Whoop-de-fu--"

Minato quickly interrupted by saying, "Did I mention what an awesome house you have?"

Mitsuru let go of the boxer and he relaxed. She cocked her head to the side slightly. "Don't you guys have something to say to me?"

"Like what?" asked Fuuka.

"Good food?"

"Pretty lights?"

"You look beautiful tonight?"

"You have a lot of presents?"

"Everything looks classy?"

"When is this tie going to suffocate me?"

"No! Don't you have something to say to me on this day?"

"Oh, I think she means _that_," replied Minato.

"Oooh, well, we won't be saying _that_," answered Yukari.

"Yeah, it's not time yet," said Fuuka.

Mitsuru stared at her friends and raised an eyebrow. "You guys are weird."

"Look who's talking," Shinjiro muttered under his breath.

(-- --)

-**May 7, 2007, Monday**

**Kirijo Mansion Grounds**

**Late Night**

"So does everyone get the plan?" asked Akihiko.

"_Yes_, we got it after the tenth time you told us after school," snapped Yukari.

Fuuka checked her watch and said, "It's almost eleven. We should get going."

"See you guys later," said Junpei.

"Don't take too long," added Shinjiro.

Both of them left the cover of the bushes and trees and disappeared around the corner of the wall surrounding the mansion. The others waited patiently for Shinjiro's signal. It was a quiet night and the only sounds that were distinct were the guards patrolling the grounds. Suddenly there was a putrid smell hanging in the air.

"God, Yukari, why did you have to let it out?" joked Minato.

"Shut up!" She punched the navy haired boy and crossed her arms.

Akihiko's phone let out a low vibration. He quickly looked at the new text message before saying, "Okay, let's go. We're clear for ten minutes to get in the courtyard and to the tree."

"Just like in the movies," said Minato.

The four of them left their hiding spot. They ran along the wall, turning the opposite corner. Once they were a third of the way from the corner, Minato and Akihiko jumped the wall, resting on top of it. They helped Yukari and Fuuka get over before dropping down on the other side. The courtyard was clear. The distraction worked, but they only had so much time. They ran to a nearby tree close to the house. Its branches were big and sturdy and climbed up to the roof.

"C'mon, you know what to do," Minato said to the girls.

"You have seven minutes!"

The boys helped the girls climb the tree. They watched them make their way to the roof and to the other side. Meanwhile, Akihiko and Minato saw the beam of a couple flashlights and dove behind a large statue. Minato hoped the girls would be okay. Yukari was fit since she was in the archery club, but Fuuka wasn't used to a lot of physical activity because of her short stature. He could imagine them climbing the roof to the other side and opening the fourth window.

Minato held his breath as he and Akihiko waited for the beams of light to disappear. He heard another low vibration, but Akihiko quickly silenced his phone. Crap, hopefully the guards did not hear it. The beams of light and the slow footsteps faded away to the other side of the mansion. Minato quickly exhaled with a sigh of relief. He peered at the tree from the other side of the statue and saw Yukari and Fuuka climbing down the tree with one other person, her ruby red hair still vivid in the light of the moon.

"Let's go!" ordered Akihiko.

"But where are we going?" asked Mitsuru.

"Not now!"

Yukari grabbed Mitsuru's hand and dragged her along, following after the others. They scaled the wall again, both boys helping the three girls to the other side. They sprinted along the wall towards the entrance.

"Shit!" cursed Minato when he saw a beam of light rounding the corner. He didn't know who he grabbed but whoever it was, he forced them into the nearby bushes. All of them lay down on the cool ground so the bushes and trees would hide their presence. It was another guard who was back from Junpei and Shinjiro's distractions. When the light had passed by their hiding spot, they saw another light from around the corner of the wall, but it was different from the flashlights. It was the illuminated screen of a cell phone. It blinked twice. Akihiko lifted his cell phone and used his screen to make it blink twice. They all stood up slowly, tiptoeing all the way to the gate of the mansion grounds.

"About time," replied Shinjiro.

"So where are we going?" asked Mitsuru.

(-- --)

-**May 7, 2007, Monday**

**Naganaki Shrine**

**Late Night**

"This is where you wanted to take me?" asked Mitsuru. "But it's just the shrine."

"We thought that you would like to spend your last minutes as fifteen here," said Minato.

"But why did you have to have Yukari and Fuuka climb the roof and out of my bedroom window to get me to come here? You would have left the house to hang out."

"At this late at night? And on a school day?" said Shinjiro. "It's scandalous!"

"And it was more fun to kidnap you, too," added Fuuka.

"Well, I will admit that it was certainly exhilarating! You guys are simply wonderful!"

They sat on the playground, basking in the light of the moon and the stars. Yukari, Mitsuru, and the two orphan boys sat on the jungle gym. Fuuka was lying upside down on the slide, and Junpei and Minato were sitting on the steps.

"Hey, Akihiko, Truth or Dare?" asked Fuuka.

"Truth."

"What do you want right now?"

"Hm…a protein milkshake."

"Lame," said Shinjiro.

Everyone burst out laughing. When it stopped, Akihiko said, "Junpei, Truth or Dare?"

"Dare."

"I dare you to count just how much money is in the offering box."

Junpei stared at him with wide eyes. "Are you kidding?! I'll be smite for sure!!"

"A dare's a dare. You gotta do it," replied Akihiko.

Junpei made a face, and dragged his feet to the offering box. Using his cell phone as a light, he counted every piece of yen inside. "Uh…about three thousand yen? Hey, isn't this the same yen I put in this afternoon?"

"What are you doing making an offering for, Junpei? Better grades? A hot girl? You know won't be able to get any of those," laughed Yukari.

"That's cold!!" He pouted and sat down next to Minato. "All right, Minato, Truth or Dare?"

"Truth."

"Out of these three lovely ladies, who do you think is the prettiest?"

Minato scowled at his best friend before saying, "Actually, I think they all are really pretty. It's hard to choose just one."

"But if you had to choose one, who would it be?"

"Uh…" Fuuka, Yukari, and Mitsuru looked at him expectantly. He knew his answer from the start, but he was afraid if he said a specific name, the other two would beat the crap out of him. He knew all about hell, fury, and a woman scorned. After all, he did have a mother and a little sister that could be dangerously scary when angry. "Y-Y-Yukari."

The blood rushed to Yukari's face. She looked away, but didn't say anything.

"Fuuka, Mitsuru, are you going to kill me now?" asked Minato.

"Nah," said Fuuka.

"Not yet at least," added Mitsuru.

"Okay, now, Mitsuru, Truth or Dare?"

"Truth."

"What do you think of your life so far?"

She sighed and said, "I am feeling happy about life."

Shinjiro raised an eyebrow. "Even with an arrange marriage and the future of the Kirijo corporation hanging over your head?"

"Yes. Because when I'm with all of you, I forget all of my worries." She chuckled. "Sometimes I think about getting on my motorcycle and driving off away from the city for good. It really is a nice thought."

"You're reaching for the moon."

Mitsuru stood up, balancing herself on the bars of the jungle gym. She extended her arms up, as if she was trying to touch the moon. "I'm not reaching for the moon – the moon is reaching for me!"

Akihiko checked his watch.

Midnight.

"Happy Birthday, Mitsuru."

* * *

It has been soooo long since I've updated this. It's been an absolute nightmare to. I had written it up to the point where the group sneaks onto the grounds of Mitsuru's home to "kidnap" her, and then I left it off at that point. Then my laptop that had the story on it died, so I had to get a new laptop. I hadn't backed up anything at all from my old laptop so I lost a lot of important (sentimental) stuff on it. I only got the rest of my stories from my account here, so that is nice. Then I was busy with work and college applications. But I did enjoy receiving a huge influx of reviews. I was happy to see so many. I've also taken a creative writing class this semester, so hopefully my writing has improved quite a bit.

Many of the inspiration came from the movie _Sabrina_ (1954), which I've fallen in love with. Absolutely wonderful movie. Audrey Hepburn gorgeously sings Edith Piaf's song _La Vie en Rose_. It is French for "Life In Pink", which means something like, "I am happy about life", "Everything is fine", and "I am seeing life through a rose colored glass." Mitsuru also says a line that was in the movie.

Fairchild: And you're still reaching for the moon.  
Sabrina: No, Father. The moon's reaching for me!

Lots and lots of Akihiko x Mitsuru in this chapter, which makes me really happy. There was supposed to be another part after they all go to the shrine to hang out. Mitsuru's father catches them trying to sneak his daughter back into the house, and he flips out. The reason why I cut it out was because I liked it better how it ended with Akihiko wishing Mitsuru a happy birthday. Also, in earlier chapters, I had a segment at the beginning and end of each chapter of Minato's thoughts in his real world. I've decided I will no longer do that since I can't think of anything to write for it anymore. (I'm terrible, I know.) I think the only time I will write something in the beginning or end is when something is "necessary." Well, you'll see what I mean much later on.

Mitsuru's birthday is on May 8. Happy Early Birthday to her!

(And for the record, I love writing Shinjiro's lines.)


	15. One, Two, Three

(-- --)

Chapter 15

One, Two, Three

-**June 8, 2007, Friday**

**Arisato Residence**

**Early Morning**

Everything seemed normal this morning. Minato and Minako were eating chocolate covered pancakes, which smelled amazing. There was a perfectly good cheesecake inside the refrigerator, which made Mr. Arisato very happy. With such a quiet, peaceful morning, nothing could go…

Upstairs, the sound of the toilet being flushed could be heard. Mrs. Arisato slowly made her way down the stairs, her belly reaching its peak with the baby inside. "That's like the tenth time I've had to pee since I got up this morning," she snapped.

"You told us already," said her husband. He turned the page of his newspaper and took a bite of his cheesecake.

"Oh, I'm sorry; it's very easy to be pregnant with a baby who thinks your bladder is a squeeze toy! I'd like to see you try this for nine damn months."

"No thanks honey."

"You…As if you haven't done _enough_…"

"Uh-huh…" Looking up from his newspaper, he smiled at his wife. He picked up his plate of half-eaten cheesecake and offered it to her. "Cheesecake, darling?"

His wife's scowl disappeared and tears welled up in her eyes. "Oh, thank you so much."

Minato and Minako looked at each other with eyebrows raised. "So, uh, mom, how are those mood swings of yours?" asked Minato.

His mother raised an eyebrow. "Hm? Mood swings? What on earth are you talk about, Minato?"

He gave another incredulous look to his sister but didn't say anything.

Minako clapped her hands and said, "Gochisosama!" She rose from the table and added, "I'm going to school. Bye Mommy! Bye Daddy!"

Minato also rose from the table with his own "gochisosama" and grabbed his bag. He and his sister were almost out of the door when they heard their mother yell, "Minato, Minako get your asses back in here, NOW!!" They complied with wide eyes. Their mother's scowl disappeared again and was replaced with a small smile. "You forgot your lunches on the counter."

The kids grabbed their bento boxes and quickly left.

(-- --)

-**June 16, 2007, Saturday**

**Adachi Middle School, Classroom 9-C**

**Early Morning**

"What wrong? You look like you're about to die," asked Junpei. Minato had dragged his feet into the classroom and collapsed onto his desk. Junpei poked his friend in the forehead.

"I'm sick of my mom being pregnant," he said.

"What?"

"You, Yukari, and Fuuka are so lucky to be the only child." Minato looked up at his best friend and added, "My mom is going through these mood swings that scare the crap out of me. The last time I was so scared was when my Aunt Sayomi was pregnant with her second child."

"Is it really that bad?"

He glared at Junpei. "Yeah. First my mom starts yelling and complaining about why she has to pee so many times a day. She gets irritated by the slightest things. Then if you do something nice, she starts sobbing uncontrollably. If you ask her about her mood swings, then she doesn't know what you're talking about." He groaned and added, "You know what she said to me yesterday? I made a joke about the baby and then she asked me if I wanted her to sit on me."

Junpei laughed. "Sounds rough, man."

"I'm scared to go home. I don't wanna have my mom sit on me!"

"Then don't make any cracks about her pregnancy," said Yukari as she approached Minato's desk.

"I was just trying to lighten up the situation!"

"Sounds like pregnancy isn't something to be lightened up at all, dude."

(-- --)

-**June 16, 2007, Saturday**

**Adachi Middle School, Classroom 9-C**

**Afternoon**

Minato listened intently to his teacher's lecture, taking down notes once in a while. He sighed and looked next to him. Junpei was asleep, his baseball cap covering his face. In front of him, he could tell Yukari was texting on her phone. She was right in front of the teacher's podium. How did she always get away with it?

The door of the classroom slid open, and Minato watched the principal of the school walk inside. Everyone's heads snapped up from their desks, their eyes fixed. He spoke a few words to the teacher.

"Arisato, please go with Principal Shouhei to the Faculty Office," said his teacher.

"Ooooooh…" murmured his classmates.

Yukari turned around with a frown on her face. "What did you do?" she whispered.

Minato shrugged.

"Now Arisato."

Minato got up and followed the principal out the room, shutting the classroom door behind him. He could hear the whispering of his classmates inside and his teacher trying to quiet them down. He followed after his principal down the hallway.

"Am I in trouble, sir?" he asked.

"No. There's a phone call for you."

"From who?"

"Your father."

Minato stepped inside the Faculty Office and the principal handed him the phone. "Hello, dad? Is something wrong?"

"Your mother's gone into labor."

"What?!"

He heard his mother scream and curse in the background. "Goddammit, this is the last time I'm ever having a kid!!"

"Yeah, that's nice, honey. You said the same thing when you were in labor with Minato. And Minako."

"Shut up!"

"Sorry about that. We're heading to the hospital right now. I want you and your sister to have dinner at Yukari's house tonight. I don't kno--"

"Why the hell aren't we at the hospital yet?! I have a _kid_ coming out of me! Drive faster!"

"Hotaru, I don't think the baby wants to hear your screaming when it enters the world."

"I'm not screaming!"

Minato took the phone away from his ear and sighed. He had to give props to his dad for being so calm and witty in a time like this. It's rare for his mom to get riled up. His dad was acting like such a pro.

"Sorry, Minato. Your mom is a fire breathing dragon right now."

"Do you want to die before you see your third child?"

"Cute, darling. So as I was saying, I don't know how long it will take to get this baby out."

"But since this is her third kid, it shouldn't take too long right? So why can't Minako and I just go directly to the hospital after school?"

"I'm anticipating that the baby will here sometime late in the night. I don't want both of you to wait with nothing to do. The Takebas will take you to the hospital sometime after dinner."

"All right, dad. See you tonight."

"Bye son."

Minato could hear his mother screaming in the background as he hung up the phone. He sighed again before heading off back to class.

(-- --)

-**June 16, 2007, Saturday**

**Adachi Middle School, Class 9-C**

**After School**

"Yukari, I'm going home with you today," said Minato.

"What?"

"Wow. Don'tcha think you're being pretty forward?" asked Junpei. He laughed until Yukari took one of her books and slapped him with it. "Ow!"

"What do you mean you're going home with me?"

"My mom's in labor."

"OH…" Yukari raised and eyebrow and added, "You jinxed it."

"Yeah, I know. She's hanging on to those mood swings though. She was screaming at my dad while I was on the phone with him."

"So that's what Principal Shouhei wanted?" asked Junpei.

"Yeah…"

"Man, that's no fun! I was hoping for something more interesting!"

"I know I have no right to say this, but a new baby will always make things more interesting," said Yukari.

"By the way Minato, did you ever notice how you and your siblings are all seven years apart?"

(-- --)

-**June 16, 2007, Saturday**

**Tatsumi Memorial Hospital**

**Evening**

"Damn, I hate hospitals…" murmured Minato as he and his sister followed after the Takebas towards the front desk.

"Hi! We're looking for Arisato Hotaru's room number," said Takeba Keiko to the lady at the front desk.

"Are you her sister?"

"No, I'm her best friend."

"Then I'm afraid that I cannot give you Mrs. Arisato's room number. Blood relatives only."

Echiiro gently pushed Minato and Minako towards the desk.

"We're Arisato Hotaru's kids. I'm Minato and my sister is Minako," replied Minato.

The nurse nodded. "Oh yes, your father told me that you would be here. Okay, then. Your mother is in Room 324."

"Has she had the baby yet?" asked Minako.

"No, not yet. It should be soon though."

Echiiro and Keiko linked arms as they walked towards a pair of unoccupied chairs. "I think she should have told us where Hotaru's room is. After all, we are Minato's in-laws."

He laughed. "Honey, you mean _future_ in-laws."

"I know. But still!"

"Mom, Dad, stop talking…" said Yukari. She rolled her eyes. She looked at Minato and said, "Why is it that everyone has to make jokes about the two of us."

Minato laughed. "Why not?"

"What do you mean, 'why not'? We're not dating, or anything," explained Yukari. (_Yet_, thought Minako.) "We're just friends."

"If you say so."

"And what's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing much…but it just kind of proves everyone's idea that we belong together when you vehemently deny us being together."

"But it's the truth!"

"I know. But it doesn't really matter. Rumors are rumors."

"Sometimes rumors eventually come true," said Minako. She looked up at her brother and then at Yukari. A smirk appeared on her face, but she quickly hid it behind the pages of her book.

Yukari opened her mouth to comment, but she was interrupted by the sound of the elevator doors opening. Minato's father ran out. He breathed heavily for a moment before excitedly saying, "It's a boy!"

(-- --)

-**June 16, 2007, Saturday**

**Tatsumi Memorial Hospital**

**Evening**

"He's _sooooooo_ adorable!" cooed Minako as she stared at the face of her new baby brother.

"He looks like his father…" said Mrs. Arisato.

"Really?" Minako looked at her father and then at the baby. "Isn't it too soon to tell?"

Minato clamped a hand over his sister's mouth. "So what's his name?"

"We discussed what we wanted his name to be already, and we've settled on Ichirou," said Mr. Arisato.

"'Ichirou?' But that means 'first son.' I'm your first son!" said Minato.

"I know. But when we decided to name you, your father wanted to name you Ichirou. I wanted to name you Minato because he proposed to me on a port during the fireworks of the summer festival," explained his mother. "I won, of course."

"Well, name him Jirou instead! Naming him Ichirou makes it sound like I'm a failure as a son!" protested Minato.

"I think Ichirou is a nice name. There's nothing wrong with going against the flow of the traffic and naming him that even if he is the second son," said Minako.

"Minato," cooed Mrs. Arisato, "is it really such a problem that we name your brother Ichirou?"

The boy ran a hand through his hair. "No…but I feel like he will always be confronted with the question that his older brother was a failure or something…"

"You're not a failure," said Mr. Arisato.

"I'll tell you what. We'll name him Ichirou. And Minato, you will pick out a suitable nickname for him," proposed his mother.

"Okay. Okay, fine. I'll go with that."

"So what'll it be, Minato?"

"Hmm…" Minato looked up at the ceiling and then at the floor. He could feel the eyes of his parents and his sister on him. "I got it! I'll nickname him Shoji!"

"As in 'proper peace'?" asked his father.

"Or 'one who lives near a small road'?" added Minako.

"Nah, as in the 'soaring second son.'"

Mrs. Arisato smiled and nodded. "Yes. I like it. Arisato Ichirou, also known as Shoji."

(-- --)

**-June 17, 2007, Sunday**

**Naganaki Shrine**

**Daytime**

"_Damn_, it's starting to get hot," cursed Shinjiro.

Sundays and holidays usually meant for the group to go somewhere and relax and have fun. But during the summer months made that hard sometimes whether it be from the constant rain or from the heat and humidity.

Shinjiro laid down on the bench of the playground while Akihiko, Fuuka, and Junpei took the other bench. Minato sat down on the slide. The cool steel was comforting against his skin.

"Hey, Shinjiro! Some other people would like to sit on the bench, too!" said Yukari. She tried pulling him off the bench, but he relaxed his body. There was no way Yukari's petite stature could handle his size and weight.

"Yeah, well, those people can go piss off."

Yukari scoffed and settled herself on the other bench.

"It would be better if we were in Game Panic right now," said Junpei.

"We don't have any money!" yelled Minato. "Especially after we spent it all on that "movie marathon" day at the theater."

"Do we have to spend today outside?" snapped Shinjiro. "I would rather be at Palownia Mall or back at the dorm. They have air conditioning."

Fuuka sighed. "It's been a while since we've had a clear day. It would be a waste to spend it inside."

"I think we should crash in on Mitsuru at her mansion. I bet she's got air conditioning and something fun we could do," suggested Yukari.

"Tough luck," said Akihiko. "Mitsuru's in Tokyo with her father."

"Crap."

"Ugh, complaining aside how's your little brother, Minato?"

"Shoji's doing well. My mom is bringing him home tomorrow."

"You sounded so happy in your text last night," laughed Fuuka. "'It's a boy! I have a baby brother!'"

Junpei whistled and said, "I still can't believe your mom had a baby."

"You still are a baby, Junpei," joked Yukari.

"Shut up!" he yelled as everyone laughed.

"How're your mom's mood swings?" asked Shinjiro.

"They've subsided. Although after naming the baby, she started crying uncontrollably. My dad said that it was part of the pregnancy. It should go away soon."

Yukari smiled. "Looks like you'll have to work twice as hard to be a good brother now."

"I know. I'm up for it though."

* * *

Another chapter to add to the record. I have some free time now that I am out of high school and registered for classes for college. I can try to get in as many chapters as possible before I start the never ending studying for college, but I can't make any guarantees.

So, notes. I do realize that Ichirou does mean "first son," but that has always been a favorite name of mine. I named my P3 MC Ishikawa Ichirou even though I knew that his manga name was Arisato Minato. I'm sticking to Ichirou. The nickname I originally wanted to give Ichirou was Shinji because it means, "true second son." But then I realized that Shinjiro's nickname is Shinji, and thought it would be too confusing so I changed it to Shoji. Although, if I kept Shinji as the nickname, I would have had fun with Shinjiro's dialogue. ("You nicknamed your brother after my nickname? Oh yeah, mistaken identity sounds delicious.")

I was stuck on what nickname to give because I wanted it to be good and have the meaning fit. Of course, depending on how you write the name, it can have multiple meanings. For example, Shoji means "proper peace," "one who lives near a small road," or "soaring second son." I'll use Shinji as another example. It can mean "child of god," "true ruler," or "true second son." I had to do some research to find the perfect name.

And as something interesting to add, Minato generally means "port". I couldn't find another meaning for it. I guess the engagment of Minato's parents was so memorable that they named their first child after a port. Minako means "beautiful child". From where I got the name, "mina-" means beautiful and "-ko" meaning child or youth. I chose her name because as the family's first daughter (and taking after the looks of her mother) she would be beautiful.

Now, I'm the youngest child in my family so I have no idea of how pregnant women act in their third trimester. I was sure my mom wouldn't give me a straight answer so I had to resort to "Friends" to get a comical idea of what it was like. I picture Minato's mom as being very light-hearted but sometimes sly with her words. She's a stern mother when she needs to be. So to turn into a fire breathing dragon while pregnant sounded like fun. I modeled her attitude after when Rachel was pregnant so that really was fun.

So next chapter...I don't know how long it will take. I know what it is going to be about, but I have no clue as to how I'm going to write it. It might be long depending on what I have to write and add in. I will see you until then!


	16. Opposites Attract

(-- --)

Chapter 16

Opposites Attract

**-July 7. 2007, Saturday**

**Naganaki Shrine**

**Nighttime**

"Tanabata! Tanabata!" sang Minako as she ran down the rows of stalls in her yukata.

"Minako! Wait up!" called Miki. She followed after the younger girl.

"Minako really loves the Tanabata Festival, doesn't she?" asked Mitsuru as she watched her friend's younger sister buy a serving of takoyaki.

Yukari chuckled. "I think it's because it's a festival day, she gets to dress up in a yukata, and make her brother pay for anything she wants." She grinned at Minato. "Right?"

"Like it matters," interjected Shinjiro. "She makes him pay for everything anyway."

"Not everything," muttered Minato, tugging his hair in embarrassment. "Yeah, it's a festival day. Yeah, she gets to dress up. But she likes today because of the story about Tanabata."

Fuuka smiled. "I can relate. I loved the story about Orihime and Hikoboshi when I was younger."

"Yes, me, too," murmured Mitsuru.

"Same for me," added Yukari.

Akihiko climbed the steps of the shrine and approached his friends. "Hey, has anyone seen Junpei? He was supposed to meet with us fifteen minutes ago."

"It's _Junpei_," said Yukari. "If he was ever on time, I'd start to worry."

Shinjiro let out a low whistle. "What a way to kick a guy when he's not even here."

She rolled her eyes. "Oh, whatever. Let's go! When Junpei gets here, he'll find us. Come on!"

(-- --)

**-July 7, 2007, Saturday**

**Port Island Station**

**Nighttime**

As Junpei neared the station, he checked his phone. He was already late in meeting his friends. He should have rushed to catch the next train, but a few more minutes wouldn't make much of a difference. He was already late, right?

There weren't many people at the station tonight. A few were at the café. Others were lined up outside the movie theater. A girl was sitting on the flowerbed, drawing in a sketchbook under the artificial light. Upon closer inspection, she was dressed like a gothic Lolita. Her red hair spilled over her shoulders and stood out against the white color of her dress like blood on white snow.

_What a strange girl_, thought Junpei.

"Heeeey, don't you think you should save your drawing for another day?" he asked the girl, moving in front of her. "It's pretty dark out." She looked up at him, her dark brown eyes giving him a cool stare. "So you're not going to the festival tonight?"

She narrowed her eyes slightly. "Move," she ordered. "I can't draw if you're standing in front of me."

"Sorry." Junpei scrambled out of the way. "Do you like drawing?"

"Not really." She shrugged. "I only do it because I can."

"If you draw because you can, doesn't that mean you do like it?" He sat down next to the girl on the flowerbed.

She cocked her head to the side slightly. "Do you have anything you like to do?"

"Uh…" There wasn't much that Junpei did anyway. He mostly procrastinated and slacked off. He hated studying. He played video games, but he didn't want to seem like such a nerd in front of her. He didn't play sports unless he counted all the times he played baseball with his friends. There was also that bet he made with Minato. "Well…I guess I like to play baseball."

""You guess?""

"Well, I'm not too serious about it, but it is fun to play."

"Hm." The girl closed her sketchbook and stood up.

"Huh? Where ya goin'?"

"Home." She turned to Junpei and smiled. He had seen a lot of smiles before, but only hers made him feel different. He couldn't quite explain it. "Won't you come again tomorrow? I'll be waiting here for you."

He grinned. "Yeah, sure."

She gave a short bow. "Good night."

(-- --)

**-July 8, 2007, Sunday**

**Port Island Station**

**Daytime**

Junpei had plans to meet up with the rest of his friends at the Kirijo Mansion. Exams were coming up, and Mitsuru suggested that everyone meet at her house and study in her huge library. He was originally going to go. Not to study, but to check out more of her house. He didn't get to explore it when he was there for Mitsuru's birthday party or when they were "kidnapping" her. But since meeting that strange girl last night, he figured he'd have other opportunities to look around the Kirijo Mansion later. He wanted to get to know the girl more and find out her name.

"Yo!" greeted Junpei.

The girl was sitting on the flowerbed again, the sketchbook open on her lap. She turned to him and smiled slightly. "Hello again."

Junpei sat beside her. "So whatcha drawing?"

She shrugged.

"So you don't know what you're drawing?"

"I don't pay attention to it. It just…happens."

"That's strange."

This girl was strange through and through. Still, Junpei was intrigued with her. It wasn't about her choice of clothing. It wasn't about the way she went about her hobby. He thought it had to do with the fact that she was _different_. Her choice of words seemed a little cryptic, but he didn't mind it at all.

Junpei looked at the movie theater across the plaza. "Hey, do you wanna go watch a movie?"

"A movie?"

"Yeah! How 'bout it?"

The girl looked up at the sky. The sun was just starting to set. She closed her sketchbook, tucking her pencil away in the spirals. "Maybe tomorrow instead?" She got up and started leaving.

"Hey, wait! I don't know your name still!"

She turned around and smiled softly. "Yoshino Chidori. And what's your name?"

"I'm Iori Junpei!"

(-- --)

-**July 16, 2007, Monday**

**Adachi Middle School, Class 9-C**

**After School**

It was clear to everyone that Iori Junpei was more cheerful than ever.

No one really knew the cause for his sudden happiness. Not even his own friends. He arrived at school in high spirits and left in high spirits. Minato, Yukari, and Fuuka were curious to know where he went everyday after school, but they had other things to do. Minato occasionally had track practice or he would have to pick up Minako from school and walk home with the Sanadas and Shinjiro. Yukari had archery practice, and when she didn't, she was with her own friends. Fuuka had Photography Club on some days, and on her free days, she was usually inside one of the Home Economics classrooms.

"Do you think he has a girl?" asked Minato as he watched Junpei leave the classroom humming.

"Junpei have a girl?" asked Yukari, raising an eyebrow. "Wait. Girls like Junpei?"

"Aw, that's mean, Yukari," said Fuuka.

"Sorry, sorry."

"I really want to know where he goes every day," replied Minato.

"Don't we all?"

(-- --)

-**July 16, 2007, Monday**

**Port Island Station**

**After School**

"Hey, Chidorita," greeted Junpei. He sat down on the flowerbed next to Chidori.

She raised an eyebrow. "Don't call me that."

He chuckled. "Sorry. Couldn't help it."

"It makes me sound like one of those Pokémon." Both of them burst out laughing.

"So what are you drawing today?"

"Nothing in particular."

"Will I ever get to see them? Your drawings, I mean."

Chidori smiled and shrugged. "Maybe someday."

"Cool. Oh right!" Junpei took off his backpack and opened it up. "I got you something." His cheeks went slightly pink as he reached inside and pulled out a blank sketchbook. On top of the cover was a bundle of sunflowers. "I thought you'd need a new one. And, um…" He started fidgeting. "I thought you would like the flowers…"

She smiled and her pale skin began showing tints of pink. "Thank you, Junpei. You're so thoughtful."

Junpei laughed nervously, the blush on his face growing deeper.

(-- --)

-**July 22, 2007, Sunday**

**Iwatodai Strip Mall, Outside Hagakure**

**Daytime**

July was always a rainy season. It was raining again today. Shinjiro was itching for some ramen, and Akihiko had nothing to do. Both boys dragged Mitsuru out of her home because she was studying too much. Minato simply wanted a day where he didn't have to take care of Shoji.

They were standing outside of Hagakure, admiring the pouring rain. Though it started out as a light drizzle, it soon became very heavy.

"Hey," began Shinjiro, "y'know how Junpei's been in a really good mood lately?"

"Yeah," answered Minato.

"Aki and I know what's going on now."

Minato raised an eyebrow, clearly interested. "So what is it?"

"Junpei has a girlfriend," answered Akihiko with a laugh.

The younger boy laughed. "So I was right then?"

"Yeah, pretty much."

"After school, we went to take a train home at Port Island Station," said Shinjiro. "We saw them talking on a flowerbed in front of the movie theater. Since we saw them the first time, we've seen them there everyday."

"Oh, I saw them, too," replied Mitsuru. "I think he's been giving her sunflowers everyday. That girl always has some next to her."

"What does she look like?" asked Minato eagerly. Finding out that Junpei had a girlfriend was like finding gold. The poor guy needed some love anyway.

"Red hair," said Shinjiro. "Lighter than Mitsuru's."

"Dark eyes," added Mitsuru.

"She wears white Lolita clothes," replied Akihiko.

"Huh. They sound like would make an odd couple," replied Minato.

"Opposites attract, I guess?"

"I can hardly see the opposites in them," pointed out Shinjiro. "If anything, they're both pretty awkward."

"T-that shouldn't matter," cut in Mitsuru. She frowned. Though she was always confident when speaking, her voice began to shake slightly. "All that matters is that they like each other."

Shinjiro looked at Akihiko and then at Minato. "Okay, whose influence is it this time?"

"I-I just think that they shouldn't care about how people see them. They're happy with each other. End of story, okay?"

This was no one's influence. It was something that had been on Mitsuru's mind for a long time. She had noticed it before at school. People were always pairing two people together based on appearances and status. People were always trying to pair up those who were popular. They always said, "They look so cute together!" Just because two people look good together didn't mean anything. They probably wouldn't be happy with each other. In essence, it was the same for Mitsuru. She would eventually be put together with a man who would look good and be able to run a major corporation with her. That didn't ensure that she would be happy. She wanted to be happy.

"Sorry," apologized Akihiko.

Shinjiro coughed. "I'm walking home now."

"But it's still raining!" said Mitsuru, her eyes widening with horror. "I'll just call for a car to pick us up."

Shinjiro grabbed the girl by the arm before she could take out her cell phone. "Don't be stupid, Mitsuru. You're walking with us."

Akihiko grabbed her other arm, and both boys began pulling her down the steps and out into the pouring rain. "Yeah. Some water won't harm your beauty."

""Some" water is an understatement!" she yelled.

They were soaked within seconds. Minato grinned as he opened up his own umbrella and followed after them.

(-- --)

-**July 26, 2007, Thursday**

**Port Island Station**

**After School**

Chidori looked up at the sky. It was just starting to get dark. She closed up her sketchbook and gathered up the sunflowers.

"It's getting late," she said. "I should be getting home now."

"Oh. 'Kay." Junpei hesitated for a moment before saying, "Can I walk you home?"

She stared at him before a moment with surprise. "N-no, that's okay. And besides…I'd rather if you didn't see where I live."

"Chidori, I don't care if you're family's poor."

"That…that's the thing. I…don't have any family. I'm an orphan."

Junpei frowned. "So where do you live?"

"There's an abandoned mansion just a little outside the city. It's a place where orphans gather off the streets."

"How do you guys do things like eat and survive?" demanded Junpei. Chidori's story was just starting to sound worse and worse. He suddenly felt really worried.

"As far back as I can remember, I used to go through trash cans in order find food. But everyone at the mansion chips in to survive. The younger kids tend to pilfer small things from people. Some of the older kids have jobs and are making money so we can eat and have some basic things. The house is a little rundown so we're trying to put aside some money to renovate it."

"…you guys don't go to school?"

"We don't have the money to."

"I'm sorry Chidori."

"What are you sorry about? You don't have anything to be sorry about."

He gently clasped her hand. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

"No. It's fine. Honestly…"

They were silent for a moment before Junpei stood up. "I'm gonna to do something."

"What?"

He grinned. "I'm gonna try to do something to help you, Chidori," he replied. "I can't guarantee anything right now, but I'll try."

(-- --)

**-July 27, 2007, Friday**

**Inside Hagakure**

**After School**

"Junpei, you're awfully quiet for someone who called us down here," said Akihiko.

"Sorry. I was just thinking."

"So what do you want?" asked Shinjiro.

"What do you have to do to get Kirijo to sponsor you?"

Shinjiro snorted into his ramen. "You want Kirijo to sponsor you or something?"

"Not me. There's this girl I know--" Akihiko and Shinjiro exchanged looks. "And she's an orphan. She's used to live on the streets but now she--"

"Is she one of those orphans that live in that abandoned Kirijo mansion?" cut in Shinjiro.

Junpei looked at him, surprised. "How did you know?"

"I've heard of that place. If Kirijo didn't take me in, I'd probably be living there right now."

"I'm not familiar with this," said Akihiko.

"Orphans who get put onto the street go to live in the old Kirijo mansion just outside of the city. The older kids work to support themselves and the younger ones. They mostly use the money for food and clothes. I've heard the younger kids go out to look through the dumpsters for furniture and anything else useful. When they get desperate, they steal," explained the buff boy.

"That girl also told me that they've been saving up money to fix up the place." Junpei sighed. "I really want to help her and the rest of those orphans."

"Through Kirijo's influence?"

"If possible."

"I don't know if Kirijo will be able to sponsor them," said Akihiko. "When we were at the orphanage, the lady in charge submitted applications for the sponsorship. Afterwards, workers came to ask us questions and run tests. Unless any of those orphans have any special talents, Kirijo won't sponsor them. They want kids with potential."

Junpei groaned. "So what do I do?"

Shinjiro pulled the boy's hat off of his head before smacking him with it. "What are you, stupid? Kirijo may not sponsor those orphans, but you _know_ a Kirijo."

Junpei snatched his hat back and readjusted it on his head. "Do you really think Mitsuru would be able to help?"

"Never know till you ask her," said Akihiko.

(-- --)

-**July 27, 2007, Friday**

**Gekkoukan High School, Student Council Room**

**After School**

"You want me to do what?" asked Mitsuru.

The Student Council Meeting was finished and most of the members had packed up and gone home. Though she didn't have to, Mitsuru was cleaning up the room.

"Is it possible you could help these orphans in any way?" asked Junpei.

"It depends on what you want me to do." Mitsuru picked up an eraser and erased several of the writing on the board. "Do you want me to use what power I have to sponsor those kids?"

"Nah, that might be too much." Junpei scratched the back of his head. "I was just thinking that you do something to get them what they need. Make life easier to get by."

Mitsuru sighed. "I'll see what I can do. I suspect that there will be some problems them living in that abandoned mansion."

"Considered as trespassing?" asked Shinjiro.

"Yes. But that mansion has been abandoned for over twenty years. I could try to get the deed to the house and turn it over to them. I could also do something to get some money to help fix up the mansion. Make it more suitable to live in. Maybe even buy them furniture and other necessities they need."

"Wait. You mean you have to _borrow_ money?" asked Junpei.

"I may be an heiress, but that money still belongs to the Kirijo Corporation. It's my father's. He decides how to use the money. If any amount exceeds my allowance, I have to ask him for more," she explained. Mitsuru smiled softly. "I'll do what I can though."

Junpei took off his hat and gave her a deep bow. "Thanks so much, Mitsuru!" With the baseball cap back on his head, he ran out of the room.

"All for that girl, huh?" said Akihiko.

"He's in love," pointed out Mitsuru.

"He's getting soft," scoffed Shinjiro.

(-- --)

-**July 29, 2007, Sunday**

**Port Island Station**

**Daytime**

Junpei sat on the flowerbed, waiting for Chidori. Normally she was already there waiting for him but he arrived earlier than expected. He saw a fringe of white at the corner of his eye and looked up to see Chidori.

"It was you, wasn't it?" she asked breathlessly.

"Huh?"

"It was you. You asked Mitsuru Kirijo to help me and the other orphans."

He grinned. "I did. I wanted to help you somehow."

She smiled softly and wrapped her arms around Junpei's neck. "Thank you. Thank you so much…" She sat down next to him in her usual spot. "Miss Kirijo visited us last night. She gave us the deed to the house and told us that some workers were going to fix up the house today. She gave us furniture that her company had gotten rid of. Right now, she's going to try to get better paying jobs for the older kids, and send the younger ones to school."

"I'm amazed she managed to do all that in only a day."

"Yeah. I asked her how she knew about us, you know. She smiled and said that it was someone I knew very well. I immediately thought of you."

Junpei blushed. "Haha, yeah, well…" He stopped for a moment. How did Mitsuru know about him and Chidori though? He hadn't mentioned her to any of his friends before, and the three high schoolers only knew her as "a girl he knew."

Chidori squeezed his hand and smiled. "Thank you…"

"Anything for you, Chidori."

* * *

I am not dead! I haven't given up on this story! I promise!

I had a writer's block with this chapter, but after doing some thinking, I finally managed to get it done. This chapter focuses more on Junpei, and it has the first appearance of Chidori! Yay! The guy needs more love. I tried to base off their first meeting like in the game and in the manga. I also wanted to make Chidori more human like the way she was during the revival event in Fes. Also, I took out her self-harming tendencies. I had trouble with writing on how Chidori's life would be like in this dream world. Strega was made up of orphaned kids who were taken off of the streets and experimented on. I remember that somewhere in the Persona 3 fan book, it states that Strega would go through trash cans in order to find food or something like that. What I finally settled on is what is in this chapter.

Oh, and I'm aware of the release of P3P and the female heroine. I've already thought about it, and I know where she will make her appearance. I've seen people calling her "Minako," so in this story, she **won't** go by that name. After all, there is a Minako in this story already. Haha. Theodore ("the male Elizabeth") will also make an appearance, but his is a lot sooner than the female heroine. Much, much sooner. Well, you'll see.

I promise I'm not dead! I just have to get my brain working inbetween school and homework. Thanks for reading!


	17. Summer Lovin'

(-- --)

Chapter 17

Summer Lovin'

-**August 5, 2007, Sunday**

**Arisato Residence**

**Daytime**

Minato was lying down on the floor in front of the TV, fanning himself. His sister was sitting down in front of a fan, listening to the vibrations of her voice every time she said something into it. It was only early August and the heat was already coming in a full wave.

Mrs. Arisato came down the steps with Shoji in her arms. He was two months old now. He was starting to grow some hair and his eyes were completely open. Mrs. Arisato was right before. Shoji did look like his father. His hair was black instead of the navy blue his mother and siblings had, and his eyes were gray.

Minako spotted her little baby brother and got up from the floor. "Sho~ji!" she sang. The child put on a bright smile at the sight of his smiling sister. "You're soooooo cute!"

Mrs. Arisato smiled as she held up the phone. "Minato, Miss Kirijo is on the phone for you," she replied.

Minato got up and climbed over the couch to take the phone from his mother. "Hello?"

"Hello, Minato. I was just calling to see if you wanted to go to Yakushima with the others and me for a few days," said Mitsuru. "My family has a vacation house there and the beach could do us some good."

"Yakushima?" Images of the beach, crystal water, and girls in swimsuits ran through his head. "I'm so there!"

"Great!"

"Can my sister come, too?"

"If she wants."

"Cool."

"We'll be leaving for Yakushima on the 15th. We'll meet up at my house in the morning and go from there. Then we'll back on the night of the 19th," she replied.

"All right. Talk to you later."

"Goodbye."

Minato grinned as he ended the call.

"So I hear something about Yakushima?" asked his mother with a small smile. "I haven't even given my consent yet."

"Oh, come on. Please, mom?" Minato got down on his knees and pressed his hands together. He stared at her with pleading eyes. "Please?"

Mrs. Arisato laughed, ruffling her son's hair. "Oh, I don't mind. You deserve to go to the beach over break. You just have to get over your summer classes this week."

"Yes!!"

Minako tugged on her mother's shirt. "Can I go, too?"

"Mitsuru said you can go if you want to."

"I do!"

Their mother pursed her lips together. "Hm…I don't know…"

"What?" Minako cried out. "If Minato can go, I want to go too!"

"I don't know, Minako. Minato and his friends are fifteen and sixteen now. They can take care of themselves. I trust them," replied their mother. "You're only eight. I'm scared that you might do something like run off on your own."

The little girl tugged her mother's shirt a little harder. "Mommy, you know I know better than that. You and Daddy taught me well."

"I promise we'll look after her," said Minato.

"You better. If you don't, Shoji will really become the first son."

"All right!" cheered Minako.

Minato gulped. Somehow he knew that his mother wasn't joking around. Minako was her only daughter. If something happened to her under his supervision, his head would be on the chopping block. If she got rid of him, she still had one more son around.

(-- --)

-**August 11, 2007, Saturday**

**Palownia Mall**

**Daytime**

Junpei stretched for a moment before sitting down on the bench next to Minato.

"Summer classes are finally over!" he cheered. "Yakushima, here we come!"

Summer classes were indeed over. Once the lectures had ended, Yukari and Fuuka wanted to go to the mall to buy new swimsuits for the occasion. Both girls were inside the store at the moment while the other two boys were sitting by the fountain.

"S-sis! H-hold on a minute!" yelled a man. He had bright blonde hair and hazel eyes that almost looked like a golden yellow. He was dressed in black pants and a deep blue shirt and a hat that made him look like a bell boy. The man did his best to chase after two other women while holding a multitude of bags and boxes in his hands.

One of the women ahead turned around to grin at the man. She half a head shorter than him. Her hair was short and it was the same bright blonde. Her hazel eyes glowed like gold. She wore a sleeveless, dark blue dress with yellow circles on them along with matching boots and gloves. There was a hat on her head that made her look like an elevator girl. "Hurry up Theodore! We have many places to be before we have to return to report to our master," she commanded bossily. She seemed to be enjoying Theodore's misery.

"Ungh! But these bags are so heavy! Why do I have to carry them?"

"Are you a man or what?! Quit your whining and hurry up!"

"Elizabeth," said the other woman. "Don't rush him. Our little brother has yet to become accustomed to this job." Elizabeth and Theodore's sister had the same blonde hair and golden eyes. Her long, wavy hair was pulled back with a dark blue headband. She wore a long sleeved blue dress with yellow circle patterns. She wore black tights and dark blue pumps. She carried a thick, leather bound book with her.

"Yeah, our not-so-worthy little brother has to adapt quickly or else the Master will not be pleased," scoffed Elizabeth.

"M-Margaret! Please help me!" begged Theodore.

"Come along, Theo. The limo is just outside," replied Margaret.

"Yes, and we still have yet to go to Iwatodai Station, Naganaki Shrine, and Gekkoukan before we head back to our Master," Elizabeth replied pleasantly. She clapped her hands twice. "Chop, chop, Theo!"

Theodore grunted a little as he tried to catch up to his sisters as best as he could. "Is this all really necessary?"

"Of course it is!"

With some incoherent grumbling from Theodore, he trudged on after his sisters.

Junpei blinked a few times before clapping Minato on the back. "Watch out, Minato. That'll be you and Mina-tan in several years."

"They're a strange trio of siblings," said Minato.

"Dysfunctional, if you ask me."

"It makes you think how weird their parents are."

(-- --)

-**August 15, 2007, Wednesday**

**Boat**

**Morning**

Junpei took a deep breath, enjoying the smell of the open water. The skies were a bright blue and the sun was shining. It was a _great_ summer day.

"So how come Shinjiro didn't come?" asked Fuuka.

"Ah, he said that the beach wasn't his kind of scene and decided to pass," answered Akihiko.

"That's a shame," said Mitsuru. She turned to Minato. "I thought your sister was going to come, too."

"She was until she found out that she had vocal training this week."

Yukari cocked her head to the side. "Did she throw a fit?"

"You'd think so, but she didn't. She was just really disappointed."

"Yeah. Miki was really looking forward to Yakushima until she looked at the calendar and saw her vocal training schedule," added Akihiko.

"Hey! There it is! YA-KU-SHI-MA!" yelled Junpei. He jumped up and down pointing at the lush green island.

Mitsuru smiled. "Ah, it's been so long since I was last here."

"Aw, man! This is the best trip EVER!"

(-- --)

-**August 15, 2007, Wednesday**

**Kirijo Vacation Home**

**Morning**

The group walked through the foyer of Mitsuru's vacation home. The floors and pillars were made of marble. Chandeliers adorned the ceiling. Two maids approached Mitsuru and bowed before saying, "Welcome back, Milady."

"You know," said Yukari, "you hear "vacation home" and you just don't think of "mansion.""

"If you hear "Kirijo" then you should always think of "mansion,"" joked Minato.

"Wow! This place is amazing!" said Fuuka. She looked around the foyer, eyeing the expensive artifacts and paintings along the wall.

Junpei nudged Minato excitedly, his voice barely a whisper. "DUDE. REAL. LIFE. MAIDS."

"They're obviously not the kind you're thinking of," snapped Yukari. "Look at the length of their skirts!"

"Hey, a man can dream, can't he?"

"Oh, so you're a man now?" shot back Yukari.

"Don't you have a girlfriend, Junpei?" asked Akihiko.

"Uh, I'm allowed to look. I just can't touch."

"I don't think Junpei would be able to get a touch anyway," Yukari whispered to Fuuka. Both girls burst into a fit of giggles.

After a few words with Mitsuru, the maids left to busy themselves with the group's luggage.

"While we're here, please make yourselves at home." asked Mitsuru. "So what should we do first?"

"Let's head to the beach!" said Junpei. His eyes sparkled. "I'm going to go change into my swimsuit now!"

"Don't you want a tour of the mansion first?" asked Mitsuru.

"Nah! There'll be plenty of time for that tonight." Junpei could barely contain his excitement. He was almost about to start bouncing along the walls. "Come on! The beach is right outside!"

With a small laugh, Fuuka said, "Yeah. The beach does sound nice now."

"It lets you know that summer is here," added Yukari.

Akihiko raised his arms to stretch. "Sounds like a good workout is in order."

"Well, then," cut in Mitsuru, "shall we head upstairs and get changed?"

They all followed after the young Kirijo heiress, not wanting to waste a single minute of their vacation.

(-- --)

-**August 15, 2007, Wednesday**

**Beach**

**Afternoon**

The summer sun was beating down mercilessly, but with the cool, shimmering water, the heat was somewhat bearable. Minato, Akihiko, and Junpei walked onto the beach in their swim trunks and flip flops.

"I wonder what I could use as a marker out here," wondered Akihiko. He shielded his eyes from the sun to look around.

"You're going to train?" Junpei asked incredulously. "Dude! We're at the beach! On _vacation_! You can train when you get back home!"

Minato laughed. "I don't think there's any harm with losing a few days of training."

"See? Even Minato agrees with me!"

Akihiko opened his mouth to retort, but was cut off when Yukari approached them in her swimsuit and sunglasses perched on her head. Minato felt the blood rush to his face and he quickly turned away to pretend to stare into the horizon. He occasionally looked back over his shoulder to admire her. He had known her for fifteen years now. She had grown up from a little girl who clung onto her father's clothes to a young lady sporting a pink bikini top and short denim shorts. There was a lot to admire about her.

Junpei let out a laugh and elbowed his best friend in the side. "_Great_ vacation, am I right?" He turned around and with an invisible microphone in his hands. "First up is Contestant Number 1, Takeba Yukari! She's chosen a bold design that's quite unexpected. It takes a lot of confidence to pull off a swimsuit like that! And what is the verdict of our judges?" He gestured to Akihiko and Minato. Embarrassed, Akihiko had looked down to suddenly find interest in the grainy sand of the beach. Minato still pretended to admire the water. Yukari crossed her arms, not amused. "Well, I think you look great, Yuka-tan," he said.

Fuuka approached the rest of her friends, her swimsuit matching the color of her hair and eyes. "Hey, is someone using that umbrella over there?" she asked.

"Next up is Contestant Number 2, Yamagishi Fuuka! Judges, don't you think Fuuka looks _fantastic_ in her swimsuit? She really ought to wear one more often! What do our judges have to say?" Junpei shot a glance at Akihiko and Minato. Neither said anything. "Loss of words, huh? That's a good sign!"

"U-uh…" Fuuka blushed, tugging down her top as if she was trying to cover her bare midriff. She hid behind Yukari.

"Hey! Will you cut it out Junpei?!" yelled Yukari.

He ignored her. "And heeeere's our final contestant! The one and only Kirijo Mitsuru!"

Mitsuru approached her friends, looking around the beach. "It certainly is a nice day for a swim," she replied absently. She looked at her friends to see that they were staring right back at her with a look of wonder. "W-what?"

"Wow! You're beautiful, Mitsuru!" exclaimed Fuuka.

"I know! Your skin is like porcelain!" added Yukari.

Mitsuru's face flushed. "Oh, um, thank…you…"

Junpei nudged Akihiko in the side. "The heiress looks good, doesn't she?" he asked in a low voice.

Akihiko tore his eyes away from Mitsuru, trying to hide his own embarrassment. "Who are you talking about?"

"Dude, don't play dumb. There's only one heiress we're friends with _and_ on the beach with us. _In a swimsuit_."

Akihiko raised his arms, stretching. "Weeeell, I'm going out for a swim!" He ran towards the water.

"Hey! Don't change the subject!" yelled Junpei, following after him.

"Um, shouldn't you guys put some sunscreen on first?" called out Fuuka.

Minato laughed. "Ah, it'll be their fault," he replied, taking the bottle from Yukari.

(-- --)

-**August 15, 2007, Wednesday**

**Kirijo Vacation Home**

**Nighttime**

"Junpei, you're nose is burned," said Fuuka.

Everyone was in the mansion's recreation room. They had just had dinner (and no one was surprised that it was rich, delicious Western food) and they were in the mood for more fun.

"Yeah, I know," said Junpei. "I forgot to put sunscreen on my face."

"You know what my mom says?" asked Minato. "She says that if you rub lemon juice over your sunburn, the skin will peel away and you won't have the burn anymore."

"Hey, great idea! Mitsuru! Do you have any lemons?"

"There may be some in the kitchen," the red head answered.

"Sweet!"

Junpei got up from the couch, striding out of the room. Fuuka got up as well, following after him. "Wait, Junpei! Do you even know where the kitchen is?" Yukari got up from the couch to follow after the other two.

"And where are you going?" asked Minato.

Yukari laughed. "I just don't trust those two with a knife."

When the door was closed, Minato was left with the two upperclassmen. "So what should we do while those three are gone?"

Mitsuru motioned to the whole room. "Look around and take your pick."

There were many choices to choose from. There was a table tennis, a large TV, and a karaoke machine next to it. In another corner of the room was a square table with four chairs around it and an untouched Mahjong set on top. There was also a table with chips and cards, a pool table, and a foosball table. A door next to the TV led to a tennis court and rooms for racquetball.

"We have until the 19th to play around with everything here. Don't worry," said Akihiko.

Minato laughed. "All right. How about a few games with the cards?"

"Cards? Really?" asked Mitsuru.

"Well, I wanted to play Mahjong, but we need one more person."

Akihiko sat in a chair backwards. He picked up the deck of cards and began shuffling them. "So what should we play?"

Minato grinned as he sat down across from Akihiko. "Speed?"

The other boy let out a groan before chuckling. "Oh God. That game again? I remember when your dad taught us that game." He turned to Mitsuru with a grin. "Mr. Arisato taught us a whole bunch of card games one night after dinner. "Speed" was one of them. We just got so into the game."

"It was intense. Especially when we played Egyptian War."

"Don't bring that up with Miki. She's still mad that Shinji took off her nail that one time we played."

"Yeah, Minako is reluctant to play now, too. She got bruises on her hand, remember?"

Mitsuru hesitantly sat down at the table. "That game sounds dangerous."

"It's intense," corrected Akihiko. "To be fair, girls should never play it with a bunch of guys."

"Oh, trust me, I don't plan on it," she answered, wringing her hands together. "So what about Speed? I'm not familiar with that game."

"It's easy. It's a two person game. Object is to get rid of your cards as fast as you can," explained Minato. "There are two piles, and whatever card is showing you can put down a card that is higher or lower than the number."

Mitsuru cocked her head to the side. "I don't understand."

"Like, if there is a five on top, then you can put down a six or a four. If I put down a four, then I can put down a three or a five. Get it?"

"I think so…"

Akihiko dealt out the cards, handing Minato his share. "Five cards in your hand and you can get more from your deck after you put cards down." He got up to turn his chair around and sit properly. "Are we playing doubles?" he asked the other boy.

"No. Doubles are lame."

"Doubles?" asked Mitsuru.

Minato couldn't hide his amusement. Mitsuru was way too sheltered. "It means that if there is a seven on top, I could put down another seven. Simple."

"Are we still slapping the cards and yelling out, "Speed!" when all of the cards are gone?"

"Of course." Minato and Akihiko grabbed one of the face down cards. They glared at each other from across the table, trying to intimidate the other. "Ready?"

"1, 2, 3…"

They flipped the cards up and began the game. Mitsuru watched in awe as both boys slapped down cards to outdo the other. When they couldn't put down any more cards, they flipped over the cards next to the growing pile and resumed their battle. It was over in a flash when Minato put down his last card, the King of Spades, over the Queen of Hearts, slapped the pile of cards and yelled out, "Speed!" Akihiko cursed. He had three cards left in his hand.

Mitsuru clapped excitedly. "Oh wow! Congratulations Minato!"

"It's not _that_ big of a deal," muttered Akihiko.

"You wanna play next, Mitsuru?" asked Minato.

"Oh. No, thank you. I'm probably not any good--"

"No, you play." Minato got up and moved so the girl could take his seat. "Here, you can play the loser."

Akihiko glared at him before gathering up all of the cards and shuffling them. He laid down the cards and divided them up. He handed a deck to the girl across the table. The cards flipped over only to be buried in a matter of seconds.

Several games later, Mitsuru threw her cards onto the table. She crossed her arms and scowled. "I hate this game," she answered huffily.

Akihiko let out a throaty laugh. "Is Kirijo Mitsuru acting like a little kid?"

"Shut up."

The door to the recreation room opened. Yukari strode in with Junpei and Fuuka right behind her.

"We got lost," said Fuuka.

"And Junpei almost killed us with a knife," added Yukari.

Junpei smiled sheepishly. "It was an accident."

"I'm scared to ask," said Akihiko, "but what did you do?"

"Junpei was trying to slice a lemon, and I was trying to get the knife away from him," explained Yukari. "And then he started talking about baseball and he…" She held up her hands and pretended to swing an invisible baseball bat. When she noticed the blank expressions on Minato, Akihiko, and Mitsuru's faces, she pretended that the baseball bat was flying out of her hands.

"Oh my," murmured Mitsuru, realizing what happened.

"So, uh, yeah, you have a knife stuck in the wall of your kitchen."

"We couldn't get it out," added Fuuka.

"I'll have someone take a look at it."

"It was an accident," repeated Junpei.

Silence filled the room. Everyone looked at each other until Minato spoke up.

"So…Mahjong, anyone?"

(-- --)

-**August 17, 2007, Friday**

**Beach**

**Nighttime**

"Hey," called Minato.

Yukari turned around and smiled. "Hey."

"So this is where you disappeared off to after dinner?"

"Yeah." Yukari sat down on the sand, the water just reaching up to her toes every time the tide came back in. "I just wanted to see what the beach would be like at night." Minato sat down next to Yukari. "So what are you doing out here?"

Minato smiled sardonically. "Junpei made Akihiko sing karaoke."

Yukari crinkled her nose. "Ugh. Understandable."

"I'm sure cats will approaching the house soon."

"And the dogs will be howling."

They laughed, before staring out into the water. The moon was just starting to turn away from its darkened state. The water seemed black and cold, almost unforgiving. It would have been better if the moon was close to its full state.

_It certainly would have been a lot more romantic_, he thought, glancing at Yukari.

She rubbed her hands over her shoulders and arms.

"What, are you cold?" he asked.

She smiled softly. "A little." He scooted closer to her, putting an arm around her shoulders. "Um…thanks." Yukari flushed, suddenly feeling a lot warmer than she wanted to be.

She didn't know how long they spent like that. But somehow, it felt _right._ She laid her head on his shoulder, her arms wrapping around him. He had always been there right beside her as they were growing up. He was always the first to defend her, protect her. He knew all of her weaknesses, but never told another soul. He knew what she liked, what she hated, and what she feared. He knew which buttons to never push. Most of all, he knew how to make her smile and how to laugh.

They grew up. There was one fear that she never told Minato about. She feared that growing up would split them apart. She didn't want to be like those childhood friends in the movies who grow up and then go off in two different directions, never to be together ever again. But no, even as they grew up, he kept on standing beside her, as if he knew what she was thinking. Even though they developed different interests, joined different clubs, had different friends, he still found time for them to be together. But lately, it had felt like a different "together" than when they were kids. It felt right all the same. Maybe, _just maybe_, this is what she wanted the whole time.

Just her and him. Together.

Yukari sighed. "I like this," she whispered.

"The beach?"

"No. Just…_this_."

"Heeeeey!" yelled Junpei. Startled, Yukari and Minato let go of each other, scrambling up to their feet. Junpei raised an eyebrow, noticing the blush on their faces and the way they avoided looking at each other. "Did…I miss something?"

"What's up, Junpei?" asked Yukari, quickly changing the subject.

"Mitsuru says that it's dangerous to be out so late. She wants both of you to come back to the house now."

"Yeah, sure," said Minato, tugging his hair.

"And we're about to play hide-and-go-seek," Junpei added gleefully as they began walking in the direction of the house.

Yukari frowned. "What are we? Eight?"

"We'll be playing in the dark."

"Uh, yeah. Six teenagers running around a dark mansion sounds pretty creepy."

"And dangerous," added Minato.

"Hey! It was my idea!"

"Oh, there you go."

"Don't go hating on my ideas."

"Too late."

(-- --)

-**August 19, 2007, Sunday**

**Mitsuru's Car**

**Afternoon**

"That was a great trip," commented Akihiko.

"It was," said Mitsuru from the front seat. "It really was." She turned around to look at the others. "What did you guys think?"

"I thought it was fun!" said Fuuka. "The beach was fun, and the forest was really peaceful."

"My nose is still burned though," commented Junpei.

"The skin is peeling," pointed out Minato.

"Huh?! Really?!"

"You didn't notice?"

"I just thought I had really dry skin on my nose!"

Everyone sniggered.

"What about you, Yukari? Was the trip fun?" asked Mitsuru.

Yukari caught Minato's eye. She smiled before turning back to the red head, a faint blush appearing over her cheeks. "Yes. Yes, it was."

* * *

I'm back! I'm alive! Finals are over, I'm on break, and hopefully, I can get my brain to start working again. So, notes.

I don't think that I've put emphasis on it, but Minako and Miki do sing. They take classes together, etc... It becomes somewhat important much later in the story.

I told you that Theodore makes an appearance quite soon. Elizabeth and Theodore narrate one of the P3P trailers, and it is stated that Theodore is younger than Elizabeth, so Margaret is the oldest, then Elizabeth, and then Theodore. I really like the three siblings though. They're pretty fun if you ask me. From that trailer, it seems like Theodore gets picked on a lot by his sisters, so instead of being all cool and collected, he's more sensitive. Though this may seem like a shameless cameo on my part, I don't care. They were fun to write about.

The thing about lemon juice is true. I got a sunburn on my nose when I went to San Diego about two years ago. When I got home, I had this bottle of lemon juice in my refrigerator, so I rubbed some of that on my sunburn and the skin started peeling away.

Operation Babe Hunt was cut out because...well, Junpei has Chidori, Minato has Yukari, and Akihiko technically has Mitsuru, so I didn't see the need to include it. Sorry!

Ah! Speed...In my senior year of high school, I had a class that had a lot of free time so my friend and I played a lot of Speed and Bullshit in the back of the classroom. Good times. And for the record, Egyptian War is _very_ intense. So intense that the first time I played it, a friend cut my hand with his ring, a friend's manicure came off, and I got bruises. It just gets really bad.

Yay for Minato x Yukari fluff! And Junpei still ruins the moment, even in an alternate world.

That's it! Until next chapter! Thanks for reading!


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